2022 Annual Meeting Website

Focus on the Seal of Biliteracy

Expanding Access and Increasing Participation!

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Seal of Biliteracy Guidelines

Update 2022

Presented by

Dr. Michele Anciaux Aoki,

NCSSFL Advocacy Chair

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Goals for the Revised Seal of Biliteracy Guidelines

• Strengthen existing strategies for implementing the Seal of Biliteracy
• Equity and access for the Seal of Biliteracy programs
• Encourage expansion of practices at the local and state levels to all students (public and private schools)
• Connect all language learning programs across institutional lines (including primary, secondary, and postsecondary institutions) to support all learners to achieve the Seal of Biliteracy, regardless of learners’ native or heritage languages

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6 Themes of the Guidelines

1.Advocacy - Purpose

2.Pathways to Biliteracy

3.Equity and Access to Opportunity to Earn the Seal of Biliteracy

4.Implementation Guidelines for State Education Agencies (SEAs)

5.Implementation Guidelines for Public School Districts

6.Implementation Guidelines for Non-Public Entities

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1. Advocacy - Purpose

Key elements of the Seal of Biliteracy are:

• All human languages qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy
• Proficiency at a level specified by each state (or school) is to be demonstrated in two or more languages, one of which is English*
• Qualifying for the Seal is possible regardless of when, where, or how people learned the languages in which they are seeking to obtain the Seal of Biliteracy
• Collectively and collaboratively, educational institutions need to ensure that all learners, including English language learners, have access to high-quality programs that support the development of proficiency in English and other languages
• Community-based language programs can be integral to help their students develop learners’ home, heritage, or native languages other than English to the level of proficiency needed to qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy
• Individual student initiative is encouraged to help students qualify in languages they are passionate about regardless of whether or not they have a heritage connection to that language.

*or Hawaiian in Hawai’i

4. Implementation Guidelines for SEAs

• In most states, the State Education Agency (SEA) sets the criteria for the Seal of Biliteracy and the required or allowed implementation options based on directives from the state legislature or the state board of education. SEAs thus are essential to ensure the equity of access and the advocacy for inclusion of all learners in pathways to the Seal of Biliteracy.
• A designated SEA point of contact for the Seal of Biliteracy is critical for collaborating with and listening to other experts, including K-12 teachers, faculty members in two- and four-year institutions, experts on the Seal of Biliteracy in national organizations, and others.
• Consistency in implementation of state education policy is already the role of SEAs. Collaboration among SEAs currently exists in various arenas, so SEAs are encouraged to collaborate to establish interstate recognition of the Seal of Biliteracy.

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Considering NCSSFL’s Role

• How can NCSSFL help disseminate these guidelines in states across the country?
• How can NCSSFL support members from states that have not yet adopted a State Seal of Biliteracy? (In 2022, only South Dakota.)
• How can NCSSFL advocate for states without a State World Languages Supervisor to get one to serve as point of contact?

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2020 Map

vs.

2022 Map

Reserved for Michèle Braud, La.

Small Group Discussions

Questions to Consider….

• Place Questions here

Minnesota Bilingual Seals

Working with community members to expand access

Minnesota Bilingual Seals

• Legislated in 2014, revised in 2015.
• Voluntary program
• College credit bearing awards
• <Requirement> English Language Arts credit for high school graduation
• <Requirement> Demonstrate proficiency in all four modalities through ACTFL aligned assessments

Minnesota Bilingual Seals

Minnesota Bilingual Seals

Concerns:

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No assessments for the multilingual learners’ home/native languages and American Indian Languages.

Minnesota Bilingual Seals

Minnesota Bilingual Seals report

Training needs:

• ACTFL proficiency guidelines
• Rater training

Cost shared among MDE and school districts.

MDE/Schools identified the languages.

Priority: Hmong, Karen, Somali, Oromo, Vietnamese, Amharic

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Community members approached MDE: Tamil, Czech, Telugu, Slovak, Turkish. Completely volunteers.

Minnesota Bilingual Seals

Minnesota Bilingual Seals report

Started using AVANT WS for

• Hmong, Somali, Vietnamese, Amharic
• Karen, Oromo - rater training continued
• Mostly only reading and listening

Started using Extempore platform to deliver the assessments in Year 4.

Language Revitalization Grant by the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council funded Dakota and Ojibwe.

Minnesota Bilingual Seals

Minnesota Bilingual Seals

Minnesota Bilingual Seals

Challenges:

• Availability and sustainability of the assessment writers and raters
• Inter-rater reliability

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Joy:

• More access to the awards in LCTLs.
• Increased visibility of multilingualism and multiculturalism
• Elevated pride in their home/heritage languages and culture
• Relationship building with the local multilingual communities

Minnesota Bilingual Seals

Davin , K. J., Mariyappan , S., & Hancock , C. R. (2019). Growing Tamil in Minnesota through the Seal of Biliteracy, The Language Educator, 14(4), 38–41.

Minnesota Bilingual Seals

Equity and Access to State Seal of Biliteracy through CARLA Title VI. (2022-2026)

Dr. Kendall King, University of Minnesota

Ayumi Stockman, MDE

A survey is coming! Thank you for your participation in advance!

Minnesota Bilingual Seals

Ayumi Stockman

World Languages Education Specialist

Minnesota Department of Education

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ayumi.stockman@state.mn.us

Moving Beyond K-12 �with the Seal of Biliteracy

Credit & Placement at the Post-Secondary Level

Presented by

Dr. Ann Marie Gunter

North Carolina

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College & Career Readiness in 2021

New Mexico:

• Discussions underway with IHEs about granting credit to SoBL recipients
• Community colleges grant credit for SoBL earned in tribal languages

Washington:

• SoBL recognition advocacy efforts are in the earliest stages.
• Placement testing still reigns at most universities.

Ohio:

• SoBL is 1 of 12 graduation seals, and seniors must earn at least two seals to graduate high school
• 1 public & 2 private universities grant credit for SoBL

Maine:

• University of Maine System campuses give 6+ credits to Maine SoBL recipients.

North Carolina:

• SoBL is 1 of 5 diploma endorsements that seniors can earn as part of Global Education initiatives
• Language + proficiency level automated on transcripts

College Placement & Credit in 2022 at tinyurl.com/Credit4SOBL

1. Colorado
2. Connecticut
3. Illinois
4. Iowa
5. Kansas
6. Maine
7. Massachusetts
8. Michigan
9. Minnesota
10. Missouri
11. Nebraska
12. New Hampshire
13. New York
14. North Carolina
15. Ohio
16. Washington

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If you are aware of other post-secondary institutions that should be added to this national spreadsheet,

please email �Dr. Kristin Davin at kdavin@uncc.edu �with a URL to the information!

Small Group Discussions

Questions to Consider….

• Place Questions here

Thank you!