Seal of Biliteracy

  • seal of biliteracy

    What is the Seal of Biliteracy?

    • It honors graduating seniors who have attained multiple language proficiencies and signals this achievement to colleges and potential employers
    • It takes the form of a notation that appears on the transcript of the graduating senior and as a certificate with seal that is issued by the State of New Jersey Department of Education and is presented to the student by the school district
    • It was legislated in New Jersey in January 2016 and will be administrative code for the class of 2017
               ** For more information: NJDOE Seal of Biliteracy and Information Powerpoint for Parents & Students
     
     
    How will it benefit students?
    Qualifying Tests and Costs
    • Students are required to meet minimum cutoff scores for only one World Language test and a qualifying English (PAARC, SAT, etc.)
    • English Learners must demonstrate proficiency in both English (through PAARC or ACCESS) and in their native or other language(s)
    • Cost for the assessment(s) must be paid by the student.
      • if they are NOT currently enrolled in an MHS World Language or ESL Course and/or
      • if they wish to test in a language they are NOT currently taking at MHS 
      • See instructions below for actions needed 
    ** Eligible students may apply for a financial waiver due to economic hardship.
     
    Test Language Target Score Cost/ student

    PARCC ELA assessment

    English

    Proficient or better

    N/A

    ACCESS for ELLs 2.0

    English

    4 or better on Tier B or C in all four language domains

    N/A

    AP Language and Culture

    World Languages

    4 or higher in Junior year

    $93

    STAMP 4S

    STAMP WS

    World Languages

    5 or higher in both Writing/Speaking and Reading/Listening

    See updated information on Avant Assessment Website

    ALTA

    Low-Density or other      World Languages

    3 on the ILR scale

     

    ALIRA

    Latin

    I3 (Intermediate-3)

    N/A

    ASLPI or SLPI

    American Sign Language

    ASLPI- 3.0 or higher; SLPI- Intermediate plus

    $175
     
    What to do & when:            
    • Deadline:  October 15 for Juniors testing AP.  Juniors register online for the AP Language and Culture examination in the desired language. AP test results make junior student test-takers eligible to receive the Seal of Biliteracy in their senior year.  Please check with the Counseling/Guidance department or the College Board website for information on AP test dates and locations. Per state regulations, AP scores for assessments taken prior to the second semester of the junior year are NOT ADMISSIBLE for the Seal of Biliteracy.  Only tests taken in the junior year are valid.
    • Test Window for Seniors:  November 15 - January 15.  Seniors not in World Language courses and/ or wishing to demonstrate proficiency in other languages may register online for the STAMP 4S or STAMP WS tests in their desired language(s) by downloading and following the instructions below:

    Seal of Biliteracy Testing Instructions  (download/print PDF)

     The World Languages Department officially opens the window for administering qualifying tests for senior students to earn the coveted New Jersey Seal of Biliteracy between November 15 - January 15. 

    Language proficiency is assessed via
    • Standards-Based Assessment & Measurement of Proficiency (STAMP) - Remote test proctoring will be used for students not enrolled in WL classes.
    • ACTFL Latin Interpretive Reading Assessment (ALIRA) - Detailed information about ALIRA testing for Latin will come through your Latin teacher.

     

    NO Action is Required
    Proficiency testing for seniors enrolled in MHS English Learner, French, German, Spanish and Latin classes will be administered by the MHS Department of World Languages.  
     
    Nov 14 - 18:  Students in MHS WL Courses:  Students will be tested during their regularly scheduled class period at no additional cost.     
    • Senior students who are enrolled in World Language classes are administered STAMP tests by the department in September and do not need to take further action.  The district and the state have a record.
    • Junior students who register for AP exams through and because of their World Language classes do not need to take further action.  The district and the state have a record.
    • English Language Learners who need to demonstrate literacy in English are administered the PAARC and/or ACCESS tests by the school district as a graduation requirement.  However, to earn the Seal of Biliteracy,  ELLs must demonstrate literacy in a language in addition to English.  Testing will take place in the ESL class.

     

    YES Action is Required
    Students not enrolled in MHS World Languages classes must follow instructions to register and schedule for the STAMP 4S & WS.   Available Languages. 
    Nov 15 - Jan 15:  Non-WL Students:  Students not currently enrolled in World Language classes, or students wishing to test additional languages, must register for an online test. The price for the tests will be $22.90 for all the languages except Hebrew which costs $59.90. The price of Remote Proctoring will be an additional $15.       
    • Students wishing to demonstrate literacy in languages other than that of their World Language courses must register independently and pay for qualifying test(s) by the deadline date. 
    • Students choosing to apply for multiple certificates (two or more of the languages in which they are literate) by taking multiple tests. 
      • STAMP 4S assessments are available in Arabic, English, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian and Spanish. 
      • AP Language and Culture exams are available in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin and Spanish.
      • ALTA offers tests in many languages not offered by STAMP, including low-density languages.

    Registration Instructions.TEST ASAP!  ALL STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE THE TEST BEFORE JANUARY 15.

    Students must take the test as soon as possible to allow time to reschedule in case of unforeseen challenges.

     

    Seal of Biliteracy results viewable via Genesis in early Spring.
Last Modified on June 22, 2023