What is the Seal of Biliteracy?

On Tuesday, June 6, 2017, Governor Daniel P. Malloy signed HB 7159/ PA 17-29, An Act Concerning Connecticut's Seal of Biliteracy, officially making Connecticut the 27th state in the country with a Seal of Biliteracy. At the September 6, 2017 State Board of Education meeting, the Board approved the Seal and The Connecticut State Seal of Biliteracy Guidelines for voluntary use by interested school districts.

The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given in recognition of students who have attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation. Affixed on the high school diploma and transcript, the Seal of Biliteracy is a statement of accomplishment for gaining competency in two or more languages and is viewed as an asset when applying for a job or for college admission. The Seal serves to certify attainment of biliteracy for students, employers and institutions of higher education. It is a statement of accomplishment that helps to signal evidence of a student’s readiness for career and college, and for engagement as a global citizen.

What does the Seal of Biliteracy Measure?

Proficiency in a language:

• Intermediate Mid* or higher
• Functional language ability
• The ability to USE language for real world purposes
• Not what a learner knows about language
• What users of a language can and cannot do
• Guidelines describe what a language user can do (say, write, understand) consistently at one level and cannot do at the next higher level

*Typically, speakers and writers at the Intermediate-Mid level are able to handle a variety of tasks in everyday social situations. Conversation and writers at this level is generally focused on exchanges necessary for survival in the target culture. These topics may include personal information related to self, family, home, daily activities, interests and personal preferences, as well as physical and social needs, such as food shopping, travel and lodging (ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012).

Want to know more? Click here for more information about the history of the Seal.