California to Offer 'Seal of Biliteracy' to High School Graduates
Anselmo Villanueva
By Lesli A. Maxwell December 21, 2011 Education Week Blog
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning-the-language/2011/12/california_to_offer_seal_of_bi.html
In California, where the voter-approved initiative Proposition 227
(passed in 1998) has all but ended bilingual education in public
schools, a new state 'seal of biliteracy' has been established by the
legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown.
The seal, which will be affixed to diplomas or high school
transcripts, will be issued to high school graduates who demonstrate
fluency in English and another language, including American Sign
Language. A number of school districts around California began issuing
their own seals during the last few years, and as of January 1, the
state superintendent will begin issuing the recognition to students
who graduate from high schools in districts that opt to participate.
The biliteracy seal has been strongly pushed by Californians Together,
a nonprofit group that advocates on behalf of English-language
learners. The seal, however, is intended for all students, not just
those who are learning English.
Obtaining the seal is no easy feat. Among other requirements, students
must demonstrate proficiency in one or more languages other than
English in one of four ways: Passing an Advanced Placement or
International Baccalaureate exam with a passing score of 3 or higher;
completing a four-year high school course in the same foreign language
with an overall grade point average of at least 3.0; passing a
district's foreign-language exam at a proficient level or higher; or
passing a foreign government's approved language exam.
Nearly 60 school districts in California are already issuing the seal.
It will be interesting to see how many other districts join in once
the seal goes statewide in January and if the idea will catch on in
other states. Earlier this year, the program captured high-profile
attention at the National Clearinghouse for English Language
Acquisition, which branded it an innovation for English-language
learners.