What is the Seal of Biliteracy

The Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by a school, school district, or state in recognition of students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation. This recognition is promoted to help students recognize the value of their academic success and see the tangible benefits of being bilingual.

In Springdale Schools the Seal of Biliteracy program is spearheaded by the World Languages Department. World Language teachers in our district help drive testing opportunities, student support, and the awards ceremonies. By recognizing the achievements of students with The Seal of Biliteracy we encourage students to pursue biliteracy, honor the skills our students attain, and provide hard evidence of skills that are attractive to future employers and college admissions offices.

Since March 2017, 2,124 biliterate Arkansas high school students have earned the Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy across sixteen languages other than English. Students who apply for the Seal of Biliteracy must complete an application in which they submit evidence of their proficiency in both languages.

A photo of Seal of Biliteracy Certificates

A photo of a biliterate student with the Governor of Arkansas

A photo of students holding their certificates

The Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy takes the form of a document of certification that stands as evidence of the student’s language proficiency. A digital Seal is also available to schools for placement on a student’s high school transcripts (see upcoming pages for more details about the certificate). The Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy is the product of a collaboration between the Arkansas Foreign Language Teachers Association (AFLTA) and the Arkansas Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ARKTESOL) and was officially endorsed by the Arkansas State Board of Education in 2018.

Learn More About the Program

Students can use their Seal of Biliteracy recognition on college and job applications to show future employers and admissions offices that they are proficient in two or more languages. The Seal of Biliteracy is much more meaningful than simply explaining that you passed high school language classes.

Additionally, the Seal is nationally recognized; as of early 2019, 35 states have an official Seal of Biliteracy and 12 more are on their way to having their own Seal, which means students can continue to use their Seal of Biliteracy if they travel to other parts of the country after graduation.

We credential with the Global Seal of Biliteracy.

The Global Seal of Biliteracy is an international credential that conveys proficiency with language skills in two or more languages for our qualifying candidates. This credential offers a competitive advantage for bilingual individuals by helping them earn scholarships, higher pay, advanced placement, increased study abroad opportunities and so much more. The Global Seal is and will be FREE for all.

To learn more about the Global Seal of Biliteracy visit their website at www.theglobalseal.com.

Click Here to access posters and flyers for the Global Seal of Biliteracy

Seeking Biliterate Employees?

Partner with Springdale Schools for the Seal of Biliteracy program to have your company or organization featured in the ceremony and receive access to top qualified bilingual job-seekers out of high school!

WHAT PARTNERS GET:

Partners receive a list of Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy recipients, allowing employers to easily verify students’ language skills.

There is no commitment to hire our students, but we see great value in sharing this list with community partners, especially in such a culturally and linguistically diverse community as ours. The list is there to serve as a resource and a reference.

WHEN YOU AGREE TO BECOME A PARTNER:

We ask to be able to use your company logo as well as list a company contact for potential employment opportunities.

You receive a list of our students.

Video Spotlight

How to Apply

Students must apply online on the Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy website. The online application link is only available during two application “seasons”— March/April in the spring and September/October in the fall. The application window will be posted on the website and emailed to contacts. No late submissions are accepted once the application form is closed.

Important: We recommended that high school seniors submit their applications during the fall application season. There will be no exceptions for students who wait for the spring application season and miss the deadline.

Students must have a Google (Gmail) email address to complete the application. Students can create one for free if they do not have one, and many school districts already provide students with Google email accounts. The two documents students must submit are:

Evidence of English proficiency - Official score report document with student’s first and last name (see next section)
Evidence of proficiency in another language - Official score report document with student’s first and last name (see next section)

Seal of Biliteracy Graduation Photos from HBHS

What qualifies as evidence of proficiency?

The following information is for the 2021-2022 school year.

The table below illustrates the assessments that qualify for evidence of proficiency as well as the minimum requirements for each. If you do not see a student’s language represented in the table above, please contact us for potential options. We are always looking to expand to include more of our students’ languages and update the table each application season!

Important: Only official score reports of assessments completed between 9th and 12th grade will be accepted. Each document must be uploaded in PDF format and include the student’s full name. Photos or screenshots of application documents will not be accepted.

All documentation should be legible and readable. Rotate the document orientation and highlight pertinent information before submitting, as it helps readability and quicker application review and notification of Seal recipients.

A = Arabic, C = Chinese, E = English, F = French, G = German, I = Italian, J = Japanese, P = Portuguese, S = Spanish

Name	Acceptable Documentation	Minimum Score Requirement
ACT Test (English)	PDF of official score report (original file or scanned) or school transcript that shows ACT score	19 in both English and Reading
ACT Aspire (English)	PDF of official score report (original file or scanned) or school transcript that shows ACT Aspire score	English Language Arts Score (English, Reading & Writing average): 9th = 426 10th = 428
ELPA21 Summative or ELPA Screener (English)	PDF of official score report (original file or scanned)	Overall Proficient
PSAT/NMSQT (English)	PDF of official score report (original file or scanned)	Benchmark Score for Reading & Writing, depending on the grade in which the test was taken: 9th = 410 10th = 430 11th = 460
SAT (English)	PDF of official score report (original file or scanned) or school transcript that shows ACT score	510 in Evidence-Based Reading & Writing section
AP Exam College Board Advanced Placement Exam in Language or Literature (C,E,F,G,I,J,L,S)	PDF of official score report (original file or scanned) or school transcript that shows AP score	Score of 3
International Baccalaureate Language Acquisition B SL or HL (F,G,S)	PDF of official score report (original file or scanned) or school transcript that shows IB score	Score of 4
AAPPL Form B ACTFL Assessment of Performance Toward Proficiency in Languages $20, computer-based (A,C,E,F,G,P,S)	PDF of official score report (original file or scanned)	Average score of I-4 across all domains (Intermediate Mid) Testing Guide for Teachers
STAMP 4S Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency, Avant Assessment $17.50, computer-based (A,C,E,F,G,H,I,J,S)	PDF of official score report (original file or scanned)	Average score of 5.0 across all domains (Intermediate Mid) Testing Guide for Teachers
STAMP WS (WorldSpeak) Avant Assessment $50, computer-based (Less commonly spoken languages, including Marshallese)	PDF of official score report (original file or scanned)	Average score of 5.0 across the Writing and Speaking domains (Intermediate Mid)
American Sign Language Proficiency Interview (ASLPI) $165	PDF of official score report (original file or scanned)	Score of 3
ALTA Language Services $132 (100+ languages)	PDF of official score reports (original file or scanned)	Score of “ILR 1+” on two tests: 1) Listening & Speaking Test 2) Writing Test
Goethe-Zertifikat B1 $130 (G)	PDF of official score report (original file or scanned)	60 points combined in reading, writing, speaking, and listening
HSK Chinese Proficiency Test $70 (Hanban)	PDF of official score report (original file or scanned)	HSK Level 2 passing score of at least 120 points
Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) $155 (100+ languages)	PDF of official score report (original file or scanned)	Please contact us if you are interested in using the OPI to demonstrate proficiency in a less commonly spoken language.