San Dieguito Union High School District

Seal of Biliteracy

The State Seal of Biliteracy (SSB) award encourages students to pursue linguistic proficiency and cultural literacy in one or more languages in addition to English, and promotes SDUHSD’s commitment that every student graduates prepared and equipped with the knowledge and skills to participate successfully in college, career, and a diverse 21st-century society.

The California SSB is marked by a gold seal affixed to the diploma or transcript and recognizes high school graduates who have achieved a high level of proficiency in one or more language(s) in addition to English.

How To Qualify

To earn the California State Seal of Biliteracy, a student must demonstrate both English proficiency and second-language proficiency by completing an approved path.

Students may demonstrate proficiency in:

1. ENGLISH through one of the following methods:

Coursework - Complete all English language arts requirements for graduation with an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 in those classes.

Assessment (1 of these options):

Option 1: State Assessment: Pass the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress for English language arts administered in grade 11, at or above the “standard met” achievement level.
Option 2: Advanced Placement (AP) Assessment: Pass an English AP examination with a score of 3 or higher (AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature or Composition, or AP Seminar).
Option 3: International Baccalaureate (IB) Assessment: Pass an English IB examination with a score of 4 or higher.
Option 4: SAT: Achieve a score of 480 or above on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section of the SAT.

Additional English Proficiency Requirement for Multilingual Learners Only:
In addition to the requirements mentioned above, students who are classified as English learners must attain an oral language composite score of level 4 on the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC).

AND

2. LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH through one of the following methods: :

Coursework: Successfully complete a four-year course of study in a world language at the high school or higher level, attaining an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher in that course of study, and demonstrate oral proficiency in the language comparable to that required to pass an AP or IB examination.

Assessment (1 of these options):

Option 1: AP: Pass a world language AP examination with a score of 3 or higher
Option 2: IB: Pass an IB examination with a score of 4 or higher
Option 3: ACTFL: Pass an ACTFL Writing Proficiency Test (WPT) and Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) with scores of intermediate mid or higher
Option 4: District-Approved Assessment: Pass a school district language examination that, at a minimum, assesses speaking, reading, and writing in a language other than English at the proficient level or higher from California Education Code Section 51461.

In spring, SDUHSD will offer the ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) for Arabic, Chinese

(Mandarin), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish for district students who will not meet LOTE proficiency through one of the other methods. For possible assessments in other languages, see the CDE assessments list.

Students should see their school counselor for any questions about qualifying paths.

What are the Benefits of Earning the Seal of Biliteracy?

The SSB honors the skills that students attain and can be evidence of skills that are attractive to future employers and college admissions offices. For more information on the State Seal of Biliteracy, visit the California Department of Education (CDE) State Seal of Biliteracy web page at

https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/er/sealofbiliteracy.asp

Timeline

Between August and November

- - Grades 7-12: Qualifications and Interest letter for students eligible to pursue the Seal of Biliteracy
  - Grades 7-8: Educational Services will provide presentations in Dual Language Immersion and World Language classes on how to qualify

December to March

- - SDUHSD will evaluate pre-qualifiers who qualified for the Seal of Biliteracy
  - March - District communication will be sent to students who are pending qualifiers

March to May

- - SDUHSD will communicate to Grades 7-11 to remind students working toward the Seal of Biliteracy to take the SBAC assessment
  - SDUHSD will send a preliminary list to registrars in late May

June (After Graduation)