ILLINOIS SEAL OF BILITERACY

Frequently Asked Questions

State Seal of Biliteracy

State Commendation toward Biliteracy

 

 

1.   What is the State Seal of Biliteracy?

The State Seal of Biliteracy is a recognition given to graduating high school students who have demonstrated a high level of proficiency in English and in reading, writing, listening and speaking in another language.

 

2.   What is the State Commendation toward Biliteracy?

The State Commendation toward Biliteracy is a recognition given to graduating high school students who have demonstrated significant progress toward achieving a high level of proficiency in English and in reading, writing, listening and speaking in another language.

 

3.   How are the Seal of Biliteracy and the Commendation toward Biliteracy included on the student’s diploma and transcript?

The diploma must contain the Seal or Commendation symbol that ISBE provides to the district as a picture file. The transcript must contain the written statement that ISBE provides to the district.

 

4.   May a district affix the Seal to the diploma after it is printed?

Yes, the Seal and the Commendation may be affixed to the diploma.

 

5.   May a district place the Seal or Commendation language on the transcript as soon as the student meets the criteria at any time during their enrollment in high school?

Yes, the Seal or Commendation language may be added to the student’s transcript as soon as the district determines that the student meets the criteria, at any time during the student’s enrollment in high school. The Seal or Commendation must also be included on the diploma when the student graduates.  When the determination takes place prior to a student’s graduation year (i.e. junior year), the student should be reported as receiving the Seal in their graduation year.

 

6.   If a student is proficient in English and two or more other languages, how should this be recognized on the diploma and transcript?

The district should award a Seal of Biliteracy or Commendation for each language other than English in which the student demonstrates proficiency.

 

7. May the State Seal of Biliteracy be awarded to seniors after they graduate if the results of a test administered during their final school year are not available at the time of graduation?

Yes, if the results of an approved language assessment taken while the student is enrolled in the district are not available at the time of graduation, the district may award the Seal of Biliteracy or Commendation toward Biliteracy after the student graduates when results are available.  The district may recognize these students as candidates for the Seal of Biliteracy at graduation but no official designation may be included on the diploma or transcript until the district obtains assessment results that indicate that the student qualifies for the

award.  When the Seal of Biliteracy or Commendation toward Biliteracy is awarded, a designation must be affixed to the student’s diploma and included in the student’s transcript.

 

8. How can a student demonstrate biliteracy?

A student demonstrates biliteracy in English by earning a score of 18 or higher on the English portion combined with a score of 22 or higher on the Reading portion of the ACT exam, a score of 4 or 5 on the PARCC English Language Arts exam, or a composite score of 5 (4.2 in Reading and 4.2 in Writing) on the ACCESS exam.