Seal of Biliteracy

The Seal of Biliteracy is a language-proficiency award that students earn, which reflects their language proficiency as measured on the national scale of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

Students are assessed in all of the language domains (reading, writing, listening and speaking) using proficiency assessments from an approved list provided by the Minnesota Department of Education. The scores students receive can qualify them for one of three award levels.

The seal is awarded to students who demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English (regardless of how the language was learned), and also demonstrate proficiency in the English language by earning all required English Language Arts (ELA) credits in high school.

College credit through Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU) may also be awarded. Anywhere from 2-4 semester credits may be earned depending on the level of the seal/certificate earned.

Students in the DLI program take the AP Spanish Language assessment to determine proficiency levels. The following scores on the AP Spanish Language and Culture assessment correlate to the following proficiency levels:

• Score of 3 -  Intermediate-low proficiency level, 2 semesters’ credit
• Score of 4 -  Intermediate-high proficiency level, 3 semesters’ credit
• Score of 5 -  Advanced-low proficiency level, 4 semesters’ credit