Seal of Biliteracy

St. Charles CUSD 303 honors qualifying students with the Seal of Biliteracy. This seal is to recognize students who demonstrate a high level of proficiency in English and another language. Students must meet the state approved proficiency level on both state approved English and foreign language assessments. Applying for this recognition is voluntary and the families are responsible for the cost associated with taking the qualifying assessments. Once the student has demonstrated proficiency in English and another language, the designation will be added to the student’s transcript and affixed to the diploma upon graduation.

Illinois school code requires each public university and community college in the state of Illinois to accept the State Seal of Biliteracy as equivalent to two years of foreign language coursework taken in high school. 

Furthermore, it also requires Illinois public universities and community colleges to establish criteria to translate a State Seal of Biliteracy into course credit based on foreign language course equivalencies. Students are required to request this opportunity from the university/community college they attend.

In order to earn the Seal of Biliteracy, each student must demonstrate proficiency in English and another language during high school. Students who approach the criteria but do not meet it may be eligible for the Commendation toward Biliteracy. The table below provides information about the qualifying tests and scores a student must achieve.

For freshman, sophomores, and juniors, AP Exam scores can be used to demonstrate proficiency, and the AAPPL test may not be required. If a senior has taken an approved assessment in previous years and met the minimum criteria, that score can be used to demonstrate proficiency.

The ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL), the ACTFL Latin Interpretive Reading Assessment (ALIRA) and the Standards-based Measurement of proficiency (STAMP4S) will be administered by District 303. AAPPL Measure is comprised of four components: Interpretive Listening, Interpretive Reading, Interpersonal Listening and Speaking, and Presentational Writing.

The AAPPL Measure is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Thai. Additional information can be found at http://aappl.actfl.org/.

The ALIRA measures the student’s ability to read for comprehension a variety of Latin-language texts. Additional information can be found at http://www.languagetesting.com/alira-the-actfl-latin-interpretive-reading-assessment.

The STAMP4S is an adaptive test that measures Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. The STAMP4S is available in Hebrew, Korean, and Polish. Additional information can be found at https://avantassessment.com/stamp4s.

For less commonly taught languages, students may take the OPI/WPT combination or ALTA exam as part of the alternative evidence method. As these exams measure writing, speaking and listening skills, students will need to complete the alternative evidence method, writing a brief paragraph explaining their language experience. Students will also need to identify a community language sponsor who can verify their reading skills. The community language sponsor must be an individual with a high level of experience in that language. Potential community language sponsors: a teacher at a language school, an individual who took university courses in the language, an individual who works for a consulate or embassy in which the language is spoken, or generally has language credentials in the language. If you have assessment results from an ISBE approved ethnic language school, it might be possible to use those as part of the alternative evidence method. If you need assistance or have further questions regarding the community language sponsor, please contact Dr. Cindy Ruesch, Director of Staff, Family and Student Services at Cindy.Ruesch@d303.org.

At this time, other languages are not available through proficiency exam in District 303, but if you have been attending a school outside of District 303 for another language, it is possible for your school to provide verification of the required language proficiency level. Please see http://www.isbe.net/grants/pdf/ethnic-fl-progs15-16.pdf for ISBE approved school.

Please consider applying for this special recognition. If you have any questions, please ask your school counselor, foreign language/ELL teacher, or the Assistant Principal for Instructional Programs at your home high school.