A Conversation with a Seal Practitioner
Any time the phrase new initiative enters a department meeting, language teachers start running diagnostics in their heads. Time. Testing. Curriculum creep. Paperwork. ….meetings….
So rather than speculate about what the Seal of Biliteracy should do, I wanted to hear from someone who’s lived it. Andrea Hartle has taught Spanish in New Jersey public schools for more than twenty years and has worked to implement the Seal of Biliteracy at two different high schools. I asked her the questions teachers actually ask—what changed, what didn’t, what surprised her, and whether it was worth the effort.
Breaking the Seal
I started by asking Andrea about her first encounter with the Seal of Biliteracy.
“It was really positive,” she said. “When our supervisor brought it to our attention and told us we were going to try this at our school, the students were excited—but nervous too.”
That combination didn’t last long.
“Once they went through the process, and the majority experienced success and were able to attain the Seal of Biliteracy, it was like, ‘Wow. I really have gone far with my language study.’”
For Andrea, that a-ha moment stood out.
“It wasn’t just, ‘I passed a test.’ It was this feeling of, ‘I can actually say I’m biliterate. I can really use my language.’”
That distinction matters, I thought. The Seal didn’t just mark completion. It gave students language for their own ability, something far more durable than a grade on a transcript.
No Change, No Problem
This is where I asked what most teachers want to know immediately: “Did this change how you teach? Did you have to do something totally different once the Seal became a goal?”
Andrea’s answer was simple and telling.
“No,” she said. “And that’s actually the really nice thing about it. I didn’t stop what I was doing and say, ‘Okay, now we’re going to do something special just for the Seal.’ My colleagues and I just kept doing what we were already doing.”
She explained what that meant in practice.
“We were already giving students opportunities to use all the language skills, to share their opinions, to be creative, to make comparisons between their culture and another culture.”
And that continuity mattered.
“Everything we were doing on a daily basis—from the beginning of their language learning to their final years—was already preparing them. We didn’t really have to change anything for them to be successful.”
In other words: the Seal didn’t demand better teaching—it revealed it. When assessment aligns with instruction, nobody has to hit the reset button.
Listening Is Scary
I asked Andrea which skill students struggled with the most; she didn’t hesitate.
“Listening comprehension,” she said. “Especially in Spanish.”
And she explained why.
“There are so many different accents, and the speed of the language can be really challenging. That’s the skill where students often feel the least successful.”
Speaking comes next, but for a different reason.
“With speaking, it’s more about confidence. Students worry about how they sound. They’re hesitant.”
But she also emphasized that this isn’t a dead end.
“When you build the right environment and culture in the classroom, students become more comfortable taking those risks. But listening—that’s usually the toughest one.”
This is where proficiency-based assessment earns its keep. When students know they’re being evaluated on what they can do, not how perfect they sound, the intimidation factor starts to shrink.
What Are You Planning to Do with That Thing?
I wanted to know whether the Seal actually followed students once they left high school, and Andrea immediately shared a specific example.
“One student in particular stands out,” she said. “He had earned the Seal of Biliteracy, and later, when he was in college, he helped start a club similar to one we had at the high school. His language background and having the Seal gave him the confidence to do that. It helped the school see that this was something worth pursuing.”
Other students came back with different stories, reporting back that,
“they’re using the language at work. They’re studying abroad. They want to keep going with the language even after earning the Seal.”
And sometimes, the biggest reaction is disbelief.
“There were students who were just so excited—like, ‘I can’t believe I got this.’ I love hearing that.”
What stands out here isn’t résumé value. It’s identity. Students stop saying, “I took Spanish” and start saying, “I can use Spanish,” which is sort of the point of all our efforts as language educators, is it not?
Nothing to Lose
I pushed Andrea on student hesitation: “What do you say to a student who’s pretty good at the language but doesn’t see the point, or is nervous about not getting the Seal?”
Her answer was pragmatic.
“I always approach it as: there’s really nothing to lose and a lot to gain. It’s a chance to be creative with the language and really show what you know. And even if you don’t attain it, a lot of students surprise themselves.”
That surprise often changes how students see themselves.
“They realize, ‘Wow, I actually can do this.’ And that confidence carries over into other things—applying for internships, jobs, opportunities they might not have considered before.”
Her answer, for me, reframes the assessment entirely. The Seal becomes less about a line on paper and more about permission to try, to apply, to step forward.
And even then, Andrea has also seen students fall short—and come back stronger.
“Yes, I’ve had students who didn’t get it the first time,” she said. “They were juniors, and they realized, ‘I’m so close.’”
That realization led to focus.
“They identified the skill they needed to work on—often speaking—and they were motivated to practice more.”
The result?
“As seniors, they tried again and were able to attain the Seal of Biliteracy. That was really positive to see.”
That’s growth mindset with return on investment. The Seal doesn’t shut doors. It gives students a reason to reopen them.
And here’s another important element to consider: With the right assessments, such as the AAPPL, students receive an ACTFL certificate, regardless of whether they attained the Seal or not. This can be very powerful to students, because even those who do not meet the minimums for the Seal can still demonstrate language ability with a real certificate to prove it.
Not Just Spanish
Because Andrea has worked in multilingual departments, I asked how this plays out beyond Spanish.
“Some of the other languages are a little more of a struggle,” she admitted. “But there has definitely been success.”
And the mindset matters.
“Students are motivated. They see friends pursuing the Seal, and they want to try too.”
She also described an unexpected outcome.
“Some students didn’t just pursue the Seal in the language they studied in school. They spoke Italian or French at home and asked if they could try for the Seal in those languages too.”
That momentum grew.
“We had several students who earned it in multiple languages, and that was pretty amazing. It really raised awareness in the school community—people realizing how multilingual students actually are.”
Visibility changes culture. Once multilingualism becomes public, it becomes aspirational.
Make It Visible
I asked how schools recognize students who earn the Seal. Andrea smiled.
“We’ve done ceremonies. We’ve written letters to parents. We had a bulletin board with the names of students who earned it over the years.”
That visibility matters.
“Incoming freshmen see that and think, ‘Wow, what’s going on here? These students did something important.’”
Recognition signals value. And students notice what schools choose to celebrate.
The English Question
Before wrapping up, I asked the question that always comes up.
Why keep pushing this in a world where English dominates everything?
Andrea didn’t hesitate.
“Language education isn’t always promoted positively,” she said. “It’s not always seen as important as other subjects.”
For her, the Seal helps shift that perception.
“It motivates students to continue their language study. It gives schools a reason to strengthen their programs.”
And the payoff is real.
“We need people who can communicate, understand other cultures, and use language skills in the world we live in now.”
In a system that often undervalues language learning, the Seal gives it weight and legitimacy.
Final Word
I liked talking shop with a fellow language educator, and hearing about the implementation of the Seal of Biliteracy over a couple of schools: Andrea never talked about the Seal as some disruptive force that upended her program or sent teachers scrambling. What she described instead was something much quieter and more powerful. The Seal clarified what students could actually do with language, validated the impact of strong, consistent instruction, and made multilingualism visible in a way grades alone never manage to accomplish. And when students start asking whether they can earn it in three languages, that’s not mission creep—that’s momentum, and it’s probably worth paying attention to.
Ready to start testing for the Seal with the Gold Standard of language assessments? Contact us today to bring the AAPPL and other ACTFL assessments to your program.
