Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy

OVERVIEW:

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 who demonstrate proficiency in English and whose second language proficiency level 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. Please see the language proficiency testing dates below, and note that there will be 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.

CRITERIA:

To qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy, seniors must:

  • Earn a minimum English Language Arts score of 540 on an official administration of the SAT, OR
  • Earn a minimum composite score of 21 on an official administration of the ACT, OR
  • Earn a minimum overall score of 4.8 on the ACCESS for ELLs exam, OR
  • Earn a minimum score of I-5 on the ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) exam in English, AND
  • Have earned a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement language exam taken prior to this school year, OR
  • Earn a minimum score of I-5 on the ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) exam. The following languages can be assessed with the AAPPL exam: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Thai.
  • Earn a minimum score of Intermediate High on the Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency (STAMP)4S assessment.

Students who speak a language not tested on the AAPPL exam may still qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy by 1) meeting the English criteria above, and 2) developing a language portfolio that demonstrates at least Intermediate High proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking in a second language.

To qualify for the Commendation toward Biliteracy, seniors must:

  • Earn a minimum English Language Arts score of 540 on an official administration of the SAT, OR
  • Earn a minimum composite score of 21 on an official administration of the ACT, OR
  • Earn a minimum literacy score of 3.5 on the ACCESS for ELLs exam, OR
  • Earn a minimum score of I-1 on the ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) exam in English, AND
  • Have earned a score of 3 on the Advanced Placement language exam taken prior to this school year, OR
  • Earn a minimum score of I-1, I-2, I-3 or I-4 on the ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) exam.  The following languages can be assessed with the AAPPL exam: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Thai.
  • Earn a minimum score of Intermediate Low on the Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency (STAMP)4S assessment.

CONTACT:

Julie Swartzloff

Curriculum Coordinator
School: 630-301-6559