Seal of Biliteracy
Livingston Public Schools is proud to offer the New Jersey State Seal of Biliteracy program. The Seal of Biliteracy certifies that the student has demonstrated proficiency in both English and another language. The Seal of Biliteracy is recognized by the NJDOE and will be noted on the student's transcript.
About the Seal
The Seal of Biliteracy was an initiative started by Californians Together in 2008 to acknowledge and award hardworking bilingual and multilingual students. In 2011, it officially became legislation in California and now 49 states and Washington DC have approved a statewide Seal of Biliteracy. On January 19, 2016, New Jersey became the 15th state to implement a legislated statewide Seal of Biliteracy. By achieving the Seal of Biliteracy, students demonstrate that they are able to speak, read, listen and write in two or more languages at a high level of proficiency.
General Information
The State Seal of Biliteracy is a designation from the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) identifying graduating high school students who are able to demonstrate proficiency in English in addition to one or more languages.
The Seal of Biliteracy seeks to:
Encourage students to study languages
Certify attainment of biliteracy
Provide employers with a method of identifying people with language and biliteracy skills
Provide universities with a method to recognize and award academic credit to applicants seeking admission
Prepare students with 21st century skills
Recognize and promote second language instruction in public schools
Strengthen intergroup relationships, affirm the value of diversity, and honor the multiple cultures and language of a community
New Jersey State Seal of Biliteracy Eligibility
Students must meet the below criteria in order to earn the NJ DOE Seal of Biliteracy:
Demonstrate proficiency in English by meeting English language arts graduation requirements (or for ELLs by achieving a score of at least 4 on all sections [e.g. listening, speaking, reading, and writing] on Tier B or Tier C of the ACCESS for ELLs assessment during their junior year of high school.
AND
Demonstrate a linguistic proficiency level of at least INTERMEDIATE-MID (IM) according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, or demonstrate a level deemed equivalent to IM for languages such as ASL or Native American languages. LPS uses the STAMP Assessment. Students must attain a score of 5 or higher in all four components: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. OR Attain a score of 4 or higher on the Advanced Placement (AP) World Language and Culture exam in junior year