The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by a school, school district, or county office of education in recognition of students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation in the 4 domains of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Our vision is to help students recognize the value of their academic success and see the tangible benefits of being bilingual. Its purpose is to encourage students to pursue biliteracy, to honor the skills that students attain and to provide evidence of skills that are attractive to future employers and college admission offices. Biliterate graduates also benefit the community by facilitating communication among people across language and cultural groups, strengthening inter group relationships and affirming the value of diversity. They are a resource to help build economic opportunities for Illinois in the global community.

Students must demonstrate proficiency in two languages. There are two categories in which students might fall: English language learners and Multilingual learners. In order to qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy the following requirements must be met:

English Language Proficiency:

ACCESS for ELL Learners: 4.8 overall composite score 

PreACT Secure 9: ELA score 14

PreACT Secure 10: ELA score 15

ACT + Writing: ELA subject area score 18

SAT score in ELA of 540

Proficiency in a Language Other Than English:

Intermediate High proficiency level on STAMP 4S (score of 6)

4 or 5 on the AP Spanish or French language exam

Seal of Biliteracy

•  Physical sticker on your HS Diploma

• Recorded on your official transcript

• May purchase a medal

• Certificate of recognition at a ceremony in April 

Commendation Towards the Seal of Biliteracy

• Physical sticker on your High School Diploma

• Recorded on your official transcript

• May purchase honor cords

• Certificate of recognition at a ceremony in April.