Seal of Biliteracy

 

Are you taking a World Language course? Do you know another language besides English?

Are you a Western Heights High School Student currently enrolled in 10th -12th grade?

Overview

The Oklahoma Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by the Oklahoma State Department of Education in recognition of students who have studied and attained proficiency in English as well as an additional language upon high school graduation. It represents the state’s commitment to value the whole student and foster pride in the cultural and linguistic heritage of our students. 

The Oklahoma Seal of Biliteracy encourages students to study languages, certifies attainment of biliteracy skills, recognizes the value of language diversity, and prepares students with 21st-century skills that will benefit them in the labor market and the global society.

Visit the Oklahoma State Department of Education Seal of Biliteracy page for more information.

 

Employment Advantages

 

Many employers pay more to bilingual employees. Language skills are in very high demand and may lead to hiring advantages and increased salaries!

• Nine out of ten employers rely on employees with language skills other than English.
• 56% say their foreign language demand will increase in the next five years.
• 47% state a need for language skills exclusively for the domestic market.
• 1 in 3 language-dependent U.S. employers report a language skills gap.
• 1 in 4 U.S. employers lost business due to a lack of language skills.
• World Languages Oral Proficiency in the Workplace
• Demand for Bilingual Workers More Than Doubled in 5 Years (New American Economy)

 

 

How do I qualify for the Oklahoma Seal of Biliteracy? 

• Demonstrate English proficiency on ONE of these assessments: ACT, AP English Language or English Literature, ACCESS, SAT & PSAT. See Oklahoma State Department of Education proficiency guidelines HERE.

AND

• Demonstrate Language Proficiency in another language on an assessment offered by JPS. The assessment measures four areas of proficiency- listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Demonstrate language proficiency on an approved assessment: Arabic, Albanian, Amharic, Bangla, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Chinese (Mandarin), Creole, Croatian, Dari, French, German, Gujarati, Haitian, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malayam, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Yoruba, and Zomi. 
• You’ll be contacted in the spring to schedule your language proficiency test at school, once you meet the English proficiency requirement.

 

 

 

 

If you have any further questions about Earning Your Seal of Biliteracy, please contact our District ELL and Testing Coordinator, Nicole Amzycki.