Seal of Biliteracy

OVERVIEW

The St. Vrain Valley School District recognizes students who have studied and attained proficiency or higher in English and at least one other language with the SVVSD Seal of Biliteracy. This award, given at graduation, provides students with a competitive advantage in the employment market as well as increased opportunities for higher education.

Seal of Biliteracy – Application

Requirements

Application: Any student interested in qualifying for the Seal of Biliteracy MUST submit an application by March 1 of their senior year.

English Criteria: Demonstrate proficiency or higher in English by completing all of the English Language Arts coursework required for graduation with an overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher AND one of the requirements listed below:

ACT (English and Reading)	25 or higher
AP English Language & Composition	3 or higher
AP English Literature & Composition	3 or higher
IB English Language & Literature	4 or higher
SAT (English-Based Reading and Writing)	470 or higher
English 121 (Concurrent Enrollment)	B or higher
Accuplacer	Reading: 80-120 & Writing: 95-120

World Language Criteria

Option 1 For students who have completed coursework in a single language	Successful completion through level 4 of World Language (French, Spanish, Mandarin) with GPA ≥ 3.0 AND LTI AAPPL with a score ≥ I4 Successful completion through AP (French, Spanish, Mandarin) with GPA ≥ 3.0
Option 2 For students who do not have 4 years of WL and/or did not achieve ≥ 3.0 in WLORFor students whose language is not offered through coursework	A qualifying test score that includes speaking, listening, reading, and writing AP = ≥ 3 – Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, and Chinese IB = ≥ 4 – French, Spanish *LTI AAPPL ≥ I4 – Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian
Option 3 For languages without coursework OR a national exam as an option to meet criteria, a combination of testing and Language Portfolio depending on availability of assessments. Portfolio submissions will be reviewed by a native speaker of your target language.	A qualifying exam/portfolio score that includes speaking, listening, reading, and writing OPI & WPT = ≥ IH (Intermediate High)Albanian, Amharic, Bengali/Bangla, Bosnia/Croatian, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Dari, Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Malayalam, Pashto, Polish, Swahili, Tamil, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese and Yoruba. Additional OPI and WPT language exams

*Students enrolled in AP courses will take the AP exam and will qualify for the Seal if they score a 3 or better. This may also lead to college credits, depending on the college. However, since AP results are not delivered until mid-July, seniors who attempt to qualify using AP are granted the Seal on a provisional basis until results are received. The Seal will not appear on student transcripts until exam results are received.

**Students who receive I4 or above on the AAPPL test will qualify for the Seal. AAPPL scores do not result in college credits; however, students do receive a certificate verifying language proficiency that can be presented to employers or post secondary institutions. Students who choose to take the AAPPL will receive their scores earlier in the year, and thus can earn the Seal prior to graduation and/or college applications.

The AAPPL web site has demo tests you can take. These are portions of actual tests from three years ago. Please note that we will be using Form B.

The Seal of Biliteracy provides students with a competitive advantage in the employment market as well as increased opportunities for higher education by:

Providing evidence of increased readiness for college and careers
Improving opportunities for college admissions and scholarship
Increased job opportunities
Boosting salary potential – Knowing a second language can increase one’s pay by 10-15 percent
Enhancing connections with your language and culture as well as building knowledge and understanding across cultures

Application Process – Any student interested in qualifying for the Seal of Biliteracy MUST submit an application by March 1 of their senior year.

Students in grades K-8 are encouraged to access world language experience in and out of school and maintain proficiency in native languages
8th grade students should consider enrolling in World Language courses as they transition into high school
9th and 10th grade students encouraged to participate in World Language courses and maintain high GPA in both WL and ELA classes
11th grade students on track identified by high school counselors and encouraged to apply as senior – Plan to take the SAT and score 470 or higher on the EBRW portion
12th grade students submit request to earn Seal of Biliteracy diploma and District Committee reviews qualifiers
12th grade students who qualify receive Seal of Biliteracy diploma and transcripts, purple cords, and a Seal of Biliteracy certificate at graduation ceremony