Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy

OUR PROGRAM IN 60 SECONDS

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 students 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.

A student who meets 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. All public universities and colleges in the state of Illinois will award credits for the Seal of Biliteracy, while some public universities and colleges might award credit for the Commendation toward Biliteracy.

All students are recommended to research credit award policies at their future universities, as well as with the military or with their future employers.

In the 2024-2025 school year, students in the following classes will be offered one proficiency test at no cost to the student:

Spanish 4 and Spanish 4 Honors
Heritage Spanish 3 and 3 Honors
French 4, French 4 Honors
EL Language Arts 11
EL Junior English
EL Senior English

Additionally, any junior or senior who earned a 3.5 or higher Literacy score on ACCESS 2.0 in 2023 will be offered a testing option during the day.

Students in these classes will be able to retake individual sections of the test as necessary after results have been received. Test section retakes will be at student expense as established here.

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 20
ACCESS for ELLs: Overall score of 4.8
AAPPL: Minimum score of I-5 (Intermediate High) on all components
STAMP: Minimum score of 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.
STAMP: Minimum score of Intermediate High on all components.
The following languages can be assessed with the STAMP exam: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish

Note: If you speak a language other than the languages listed above, there are other testing and portfolio options available for you. Please contact the Seal of Biliteracy Coordinator for more information at elaine.diveley@sd129.org.

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 20
ACCESS for ELLs: Literacy score of 3.5
AAPPL: Minimum score of I-1 (Intermediate Low) on all components
STAMP: Minimum score of 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.
STAMP: Minimum score of Intermediate Low on all components.
The following languages can be assessed with the STAMP exam: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish

BENEFITS

Here is what 2020 West High graduates Zoe and Antonio have to say!

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 TO GET STARTED

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

9th-12th graders who take the STAMP, AAPPL exam, ALTA assessment, 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 for 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 elaine.diveley@sd129.org to update your score in the database.
If you speak a language not tested on the STAMP exam, you have an opportunity to take another test to demonstrate your language proficiency and earn a Seal of Biliteracy. Please email Mrs. Diveley at elaine.diveley@sd129.org to begin the process and get added to the database.

TESTING INFORMATION

Contact:

RESOURCES

TESTING REGISTRATION 2024-2025

testing Payment at West Aurora Web Store

TO CHECK YOUR STATUS OR UPDATED SCORES, EMAIL MRS. DIVELEY