Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy

OVERVIEW:

The Seal of Biliteracy is open to ALL students in ANY language!

West Aurora School District 129 has established a program to recognize high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English.  Two honors are available: the Seal of Biliteracy and the Commendation toward Biliteracy.  

The Seal of Biliteracy is awarded to those whose proficiency level in English and a second language is equivalent to Intermediate-High or above, as determined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. The Commendation toward Biliteracy is awarded to students whose English and/or second language proficiency level is rated at Intermediate-Low or Intermediate-Mid. Language proficiency testing will be offered with an associated cost.

A student meeting the requirements for the Seal of Biliteracy or Commendation toward Biliteracy will receive this designation on his/her transcript as well as the diploma upon graduation. 

SEAL OF BILITERACY CRITERIA:

English (ONE of the following):

• SAT: Score of 480 EBRW (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing)
• ACT: Composite score of 21 or English subject area score of 18
• ACCESS for ELLs: Overall score of 4.8
• AAPPL: Minimum score of I-5 (Intermediate High) on all components
• AP English Language and Composition Exam: Score of 5

& World Language (ONE of the following):

• AP Language and Culture Exam: Score of 4 or 5
• AAPPL: Minimum score of I-5 (Intermediate High)on all components. 
• The following languages can be assessed with the AAPPL exam: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Thai
• Portfolio option for languages in which tests are not available. Please complete the “Speak Another Language?” Google Form on this page

COMMENDATION TOWARD BILITERACY CRITERIA:

English (ONE of the following):

• SAT: Score of 480 EBRW (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing)
• ACT: Composite score of 21 or English subject area score of 18
• ACCESS for ELLs: Literacy score of 3.5
• AAPPL: Minimum score of I-1 (Intermediate Low) on all components
• AP English Language and Composition Exam: Score of 4

& World Language (ONE of the following):

• AP Language and Culture Exam: Score of 3
• AAPPL: Minimum score of I-1 (Intermediate Low) on all components. 
• The following languages can be assessed with the AAPPL exam: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Thai

BENEFITS:

• Gold seal on high school diploma 
• Listed on high school transcript
• Receive medal during special awards ceremony 
• Named in Senior Honors Night and Graduation bulletins 
• Obtain college credit at any public college or university in Illinois (Seal of Biliteracy only), in addition to many private and out-of-state universities
• More competitive on college applications
• Increased employment opportunities

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

• 9th-12th graders who take the AAPPL exam, AP French Language exam, AP Spanish Language exam, or ACCESS for ELLs exam and receive a score that meets the Seal or Commendation criteria are automatically added to the candidate database
• The Seal of Biliteracy Coordinator will add SAT scores from the state-wide testing date to any senior candidates
• If you have re-taken the SAT or ACT outside of the school day, please contact the Seal of Biliteracy Coordinator at jswartzloff@sd129.org to update your score in the database