{"id":3990,"date":"2024-11-11T09:00:26","date_gmt":"2024-11-11T09:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/?p=3990"},"modified":"2026-01-29T13:56:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T13:56:48","slug":"maximizing-the-value-of-your-seal-of-biliteracy-from-certification-to-college-credit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/maximizing-the-value-of-your-seal-of-biliteracy-from-certification-to-college-credit\/","title":{"rendered":"Maximizing the Value of Your Seal of Biliteracy: From Certification to College Credit"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re in our most powerful era as language teachers. The development of Seal of Biliteracy<\/a> credentials in the United States has ushered in opportunities that elevate the power our graduates have. We are not only arming them with valuable 21st century skills but also tangible evidence that enhances their professional potential. For us classroom teachers, it can be easy to think our task is confined to building our learners\u2019 language skills. But I believe we are in our most powerful era, and we can maximize this opportunity in a variety of ways.<\/p>\n

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Program Recognition<\/h2>\n

Even before your students receive the Seal of Biliteracy, it\u2019s important to educate them on the existence of the opportunity to obtain the Seal. At my school, information around proficiency and the Seal of Biliteracy is part of our programming early on. Parents of incoming high school students are informed and given information, so they can become early supporters of language learning. Each year and each level of our language programming highlight a pathway to biliteracy. In addition to illuminating the pathways to the Seal of Biliteracy for students, we also talk about ways in which biliteracy can give you a professional edge \u2013 and we do this in all our language courses.<\/p>\n

Maximize In-House Power Structures, Including CTE Programs<\/h2>\n

We work hard to raise in-house visibility to our students, and that extends to the adults in our building as well. I work in a small district where it\u2019s relatively easy for the entire faculty and staff to learn about our language program\u2019s focus and pathways to biliteracy. Communicating with guidance counselors is a key factor in leveraging the usefulness of the Seal of Biliteracy. These are the ones who deal with future college programming and employer decisions on a daily basis, as well as helping students enroll in courses and plan their high school careers. Keep the guidance staff in the loop on the learners in your program so that they can help your learners showcase their language ability.<\/p>\n

Some people hold to the notion that language learning is only for those on a four-year college track. Today, there are more career pathways than ever that may not include a 4-year degree. Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs can be a powerful place to raise awareness of the Seal of Biliteracy. Over the years, I\u2019ve had alumni approach me to tell me how useful their language skills have been professionally. Many of them had been CTE students, specifically in the agriculture field. It\u2019s important for me to communicate with the CTE programs in our school to make sure that they know that language learning is for everyone and that there are great advantages available to learners who provide evidence of their language ability. Merging language learning with CTE programs unites two superpowers for a 21st century skill power-punch, eradicating the stereotype that biliteracy is only for a certain type of student.<\/p>\n

Model Self-Promotion<\/h2>\n

In a sea of modern influences and self-promoters, sometimes our young people lack the skills to promote themselves professionally. My high-achieving academic students often remark they feel uncomfortable bragging about their achievements on resumes and applications. We can teach young people to retain their humility while also recognizing their value. I try to help my learners feel comfortable communicating their achievements in a variety of ways: application essays, resumes and job interviews. I model how to add certifications to LinkedIn profiles and resumes. I regularly stress the ways that the Seal of Biliteracy can be used for professional advancement and that it\u2019s the individual student who is responsible for spreading that message in the future. I want to guide learners proactively to help them see the many ways they can maximize the utility of the Seal of Biliteracy in the short and long term.<\/p>\n

Celebrate for All to See!<\/h2>\n

Institutionally, it\u2019s important to celebrate the Seal of Biliteracy. It is a great honor for those that worked hard to earn the recognition, but it also creates important visibility for your program and the opportunities associated with the Seal. We make sure that our graduates earning the Seal of Biliteracy are personally acknowledged during a Senior Awards Ceremony and during Commencement. Students receive and wear medals along with receiving the certificate. A physical token raises intrigue and visibility and helps create future interest and engagement.<\/p>\n

Harness the 21st century power of positive social media by making celebratory posts with Seal awardees. With student and family permission, we post photos of each recipient and an explanation of the achievement on many social media platforms. I post on my personal teaching Instagram site (@espanoldhs), the district Facebook page, and a regional Seal of Biliteracy Facebook page. I like to tag LTI (@LTILanguageTest), because they are great supporters and promoters of the Seal of Biliteracy, including the Seal of Biliteracy Achievement Scholarship. Showcasing biliteracy achievements magnifies the potential impact of the Seal as you communicate with a broader audience than your immediate parent and student communities.<\/p>\n

Advocate for Institutional Support<\/h2>\n

I was so pleased that the State of Iowa began recognizing the Seal of Biliteracy a few years ago but continued to be frustrated that State institutions did not immediately reciprocate that value. On many occasions, students still had to take additional placement tests when they got to college, and it felt like a disconnect. I began dialoguing with different people within the State Education department and at local universities. Everyone assured me that they did value the Seal of Biliteracy, but since it was just in its infancy, they weren’t exactly sure what it might mean at the college level yet. I understood, appreciated their positions, and continued to revisit the conversation each year.<\/p>\n

This May, the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls (near my small town) announced that they will be awarding 6 college credits for the Seal of Biliteracy. This was incredibly validating, and it\u2019s one step closer to broader institutional support and recognition across the state. As teachers, we can continually advocate for these types of developments. Reach out to college admission offices and language departments. Educate yourself on how different institutions in your area value biliteracy. Stay up to date with state policy and laws. Investigate the language needs of local employers. Being able to increase the power of biliteracy in your community increases the overall usefulness of your language program too!<\/p>\n

If you can be proactive and deliberate in your actions, you can harness the power of the Seal of Biliteracy. On its own, it is valuable and powerful. Increasing visibility, connecting with others, and being a constant advocate for the value of language learning can leverage the Seal in many ways. We\u2019re living in a very powerful era, and it\u2019s up to us to maximize it the best we can.<\/p>\n

If you would like to bring ACTFL Assessments to your program to help learners attain your state\u2019s Seal of Biliteracy, contact us<\/a> today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re in our most powerful era as language teachers. The development of Seal of Biliteracy credentials in the United States has ushered in opportunities that elevate the power our graduates have. We are not only arming them with valuable 21st century skills but also tangible evidence that enhances their professional potential. For us classroom teachers, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":3994,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[183],"tags":[80,16,48,154,42,245,40,158,34,27,268,156,8,7,145,155,230],"class_list":["post-3990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic","tag-aappl","tag-actfl","tag-bilingual","tag-bilingualism","tag-determining-proficiency","tag-education","tag-language-assessment","tag-language-certification","tag-language-learning","tag-language-proficiency","tag-language-proficiency-assessments","tag-language-skills","tag-language-test","tag-language-testing","tag-multilingual","tag-multilingualism","tag-seal-of-biliteracy"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/shutterstock_2459345339-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3990"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5359,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3990\/revisions\/5359"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}