NC's Seal of Biliteracy
Global Languages Endorsement
Global Languages Endorsement
North Carolina's Seal of Biliteracy
In January 2015, the State Board of Education approved the Global Languages Endorsement, North Carolina's Seal of Biliteracy, as one of five High School Diploma Endorsements that a student might earn (GRAD-007).
Please see the North Carolina High School Diploma Endorsements webpage for details on all five endorsements.
The purpose is to provide a way for students to show their multiliteracy in English and at least one World Language. Students may add as many World Languages for which they qualify to a Global Languages Endorsement on their diploma.
The Global Languages Endorsement has been available since the 2014 - 2015 school year or starting with the Class of 2015.
The shortened URL for this webpage is http://bit.ly/NCsealGLE
Outline of Policy Requirements for the Global Languages Endorsement
English Language Arts (ELA)
Meet High School English Language Arts requirements by earning an unweighted 2.5 GPA or higher in the required 4 English courses
World Languages
Establish proficiency in a World Language of Intermediate Low or higher using ONE of the options described below for each language added
English Learners (ELs)
Complete the ELA and World Languages requirements and also reach "Developing" (Level 3) proficiency per the proficiency scale in all 4 domains on the most recent state-identified English language proficiency test
World Language Options for Establishing Intermediate Low Proficiency
Only 1 of these options is needed for each World Language on the Global Languages Endorsement
Complete 4 levels of the same language with an unweighted 2.5 GPA or higher
Take an external exam on the NCDPI approved external assessment list and achieve a minimum language proficiency score of Intermediate Low (IL) or higher
Use the Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM) Policy to establish IL Proficiency or higher
Notes:
The identification and notation on the student transcript is now automated in PowerSchool.
If a higher level of proficiency is correlated with the external exam score or the CDM course level, then that proficiency level will be posted on the transcript for the GLE.
The Global Languages Endorsement User Guide provides information on the requirements and how PowerSchool will automatically identify qualifying students. In addition, information is provided on where one can check in PowerSchool for students in a school that may be qualifying for any of the High School Diploma Endorsements.
The school or district must enter qualifying NCDPI approved external assessments taken by students and the scores or Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM) information for World Language courses in PowerSchool to locate these artifacts in the automated identification logic.
Notes:
From 2015 - 2017, GLE information had to be entered manually into PowerSchool.
Starting with the Class of 2018 and going forward, PowerSchool automation was in place.
Data on the Global Languages Endorsement
So far, the Global Languages Endorsement has recognized graduates with proficiency in over a dozen World Languages, including: American Sign Language (ASL), Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Persian, Russian, Spanish, and Swahili.
The slide to the left shows data for each graduating class since the Global Languages Endorsement, NC's Seal of Biliteracy, became available.
Details for each graduating class, 2015 - 2020, are available by clicking on these spreadsheets:
Feel free to download a copy of the View only spreadsheets for your own analysis.
North Carolina Resources
Frequently Asked Questions or FAQ
General Policy : Overall, Students, and Proficiency Level
Other sections (Coming soon!)
Webinars on the Global Languages Endorsement, NC's Seal of Biliteracy
March 30, 2021 - Class of 2020 Results & Impact
January 14, 2020 - Class of 2019 Data & Details
December 5, 2018 - Measuring World Language Proficiency with Credentialing
National Resources
National Seal of Biliteracy website: https://sealofbiliteracy.org/
Reports & Articles
2020 National Seal of Biliteracy Report for 2018-2019 Academic Year from SealofBiliteracy.org
2019 National Seal of Biliteracy Report for 2017-2018 Academic Year from SealofBiliteracy.org
Seal of Biliteracy Goes Nationwide, Language Magazine, January 2021
The Truth about Bilingualism: It's Only for Some Students, Education Week, January 2019
Research
A Comparative Case Study: Administrators' and Students' Perceptions of the Seal of Biliteracy, Foreign Language Annals, 53 (3)
See the video abstract on YouTube and/or read the article on pages 458 - 477Global Initiatives in North Carolina: The Impact on Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners, Dimension 2020
Prioritizing Multilingualism in U.S. Schools: States' Policy Journeys to Enact the Seal of Biliteracy, Educational Policy, September 2018
Recognizing Whose Bilingualism? A Critical Policy Analysis of the Seal of Biliteracy, The Modern Language Journal, 103 (2), 371-390
Shifting Ideologies: The Seal of Biliteracy in the United States, Language Learning in Anglophone Countries, 71-88
The Seal of Biliteracy: Adding Students' Voices to the Conversation, Bilingual Research Journal, 41 (3), 312-328
The Seal of Biliteracy: Case Studies and Considerations for Policy Implementation, Information Age Publishing, 2020
The Seal of Biliteracy: Considering Equity and Access for English Learners, Education Policy Analysis Archives, 26 (99), 1-12
The Seal of Biliteracy: Successes and Challenges to Implementation, Foreign Language Annals, 51 (2), 275-289
See the video abstract on YouTube and/or read the article on pages 275 - 289The Seal of Biliteracy: Variations in Policy and Outcomes, Foreign Language Annals, 50 (3), 486-499
See the video abstract on YouTube and/or read the article on pages 486 - 499