• The Seal of Biliteracy is awarded at graudation to students who have demonstrated proficiency in two or more languages. 

  • Use this Google Form to let us know of students who may qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy. 

    Google Form

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  • District 49 Seal of Biliteracy Diploma 

    QualificationChecklist 

     

    According to SB 17-123, a Local Education Agency may grant a seal of biliteracy to a graduating high school student who attains proficiency or higher in one or more world languages in addition to attaining proficiency or higher in English. In addition to the Colorado Seal of Biliteracy, a committee of District 49 staff developed a set of criteria to obtain a District Seal of Biliteracy. Both Seals demonstrate dedication to bilingualism and biliteracy. To obtain a seal of biliteracy, a graduating student must meet one criteria in the following three areas: Demonstration of Proficiency in English, Demonstration of Proficiency in World Language, and Community Engagement:

     

     

    • 1. Demonstrating Proficiency or Higher in ENGLISH by completing all of the English Language Arts (ELA) coursework required for graduating with an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 in the required ELA courses* and one of the requirements below (Choose one):

     

    *Students from special populations may waive this GPA requirement for the District Seal at the discretion of the Seal of Biliteracy Committee/Coordinator. The 3.0 GPA is required for the Colorado Seal of Biliteracy. 

     

    **Passing score is Intermediate High for AAPPL in English, 6 or higher in IELTS, and 72 or higher for TOEFL. 



    Colorado Seal Standards

    • Scoring a 470 or higher on the SAT section of the “Evidence-Based Reading and Writing”
    • Scoring a 3 or higher on the Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition or the AP English Literature and Composition Exam 
    • Scoring 4 or higher on the English A, English Literature A or English A1 of the IB International Baccalaureate Exams 



    District Seal Standards

    • Any of the above requirements OR…
    • Scoring 4 (Silver) or higher on the WorkKeys English assessments in Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents
    • EdReady proficiency score of 90 
    • Next Generation Accuplacer (241 on Reading OR 236 on Writing)
    • English 121 English Composition I (C or better)
    • Scoring 4.0 Overall and 4.0 in Literacy on WIDA ACCESS (or comparable TELL overall scores)
    • Achieving a passing score on internationally/nationally recognized test, including AAPPL, IELTS or TOEFL**

     

    1. Demonstrating Proficiency or Higher in a WORLD LANGUAGE  by meeting one of the requirements below (Choose one):

     

    Colorado Seal Standards

    • Scoring a 3 or higher on a World Language AP assessment
    • Successfully completing a 4-year high school course of study of a single World Language with an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 
    • Scoring 4 or higher on a World Language IB International Baccalaureate test
    • Achieving a passing score of Intermediate High or higher on the AAPPL test in Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Thai.
    • Achieving a passing score of Intermediate High on the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and ACTFL Written Proficiency Test (WPT) tests in Albanian, Amharic, Bengali/Bangla, Bosnian/Croatian, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Dari, Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Malayalam, Pashto, Polish, Swahili, Tamil, Tagalog, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese and Yoruba.

     

    District Seal Standards

    • Any of the above requirements OR…
    • Successfully completing World Language Levels 3 and 4 with an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 
    • Scoring a 4 or higher on WorkKeys Spanish (or other language) assessments in Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, Workplace Documents
    • Successful completion of any World Language Level 1 and Level 2 college-level courses (C or better)
    • Transcripts from accredited education institutions that demonstrates mastery in that native/heritage language



    If an Advanced Placement, AAPPL, or local assessment is not available in the language, the district may use a body of evidence (BOE) criteria to meet the qualifications for the Seal of Biliteracy for High School Diplomas. The district body of evidence includes

    • Demonstrate proficiency in all domains of the language through: reading, writing, and communicating.
    • Comparability in rigor to an Advanced Placement Test.
    • Scoring by a trained fluent speaker

     

    1. Demonstrating authentic use of biliteracy for either Colorado or District Seal of Biliteracy by completing  COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

     

    In addition to the above requirements, the student must demonstrate an authentic application of the language proficiency in one of the following:

     

    • Providing community engagement in the target language, with a minimum of 15 hours completed in a school or community environment. Examples include reading buddy in native language, volunteering for a non-profit, tutoring assistance, joining a language club, or other developed engagement projects. Please provide a letter from the organization(s) that include the hours worked, language(s) used, and a signature from the supervisor.