This article documents the journey of a high school and the experiences of a group of teachers during the 2016-17 school year, the first year of implementation of the New York State Seal of Biliteracy (NYSSB).

This critical policy analysis explores possible inequities in the way that the Seal has been promoted, enacted in policy, and implemented in schools, focused primarily on California. Three findings are reported. First, advocates and policy makers have constructed the purpose of the Seal as primarily aimed at promoting foreign or world language education, raising questions about the degree to which the recognition of language-minoritized students’ linguistic repertoires is a focus. Second, the policy requirements for demonstrating biliteracy advantage students, especially native English-speaking students, who are studying a foreign or world language as part of their school’s curriculum. Third, schools with high percentages of students of color and students from low-income families are less likely to participate in the program, suggesting that students privileged along lines of race and class have greater access to the program. This article concludes by suggesting improvements in policy and directions for future research that might contribute to addressing these inequities.

This is the second national report on the Seal of Biliteracy. The Seal of Biliteracy started in California in 2008 as a grassroots movement to reverse the deficit view of English Learners to instead honor and recognize them for their proficiency in English and another language while preparing all students for global citizenship. As of October 1, 2020, 40 states plus Washington, D.C. have established a state Seal of Biliteracy program. For the first time ever, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have or are working towards establishing a state Seal of Biliteracy. Candace R. Black, World Language Associate, Office of Bilingual Education & World Languages, New York State Education Department with Arthur Chou and Charlotte R. Hancock, took part in the preparation of the 2020 national report.

This report is the first attempt to publish a national report on the Seal of Biliteracy. The Seal of Biliteracy movement started in California in 2009 as a grassroots movement to reverse the deficit view of English Learners to instead honor and recognize them for their proficiency in English and another language while preparing all students for global citizenship. As of March 1, 2019, thirty-six states plus Washington, D.C. established their state Seal of Biliteracy. This report collected data from the District of Columbia and twenty-three states (Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, and Washington). During the collection of data of this report, fourteen states (Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming) are still working on establishing their state Seal of Biliteracy. Also, eight states (Massachusetts, Michigan, Tennessee, Iowa, Arkansas, South Carolina, Maine, North Dakota) were in their first year of implementing their state Seal of Biliteracy, so they did not have any data for this report.