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Mountain View Los Altos High School District

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https://www.mvla.net/Departments/Educational-Services/State-Seal-of-Biliteracy/

State Seal of Biliteracy

SEAL OF BILITERACY


The California Seal of Biliteracy is a state awards program  designed to honor the accomplishments of high school students in the field of language studies and proficiency. The program's primary objectives are as follows:
  • Encourage students to continue their language studies.
  • Recognize and celebrate students who have achieved a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in two or more languages.
  •  Acknowledge the value of cultural and language diversity within our community.
  • Foster global citizenship and the development of essential 21st-century skills.
  •  

Mountain View-Lost Altos High School District is pleased to provide this opportunity to celebrate our students and their remarkable language achievements. Students who meet the eligibility criteria for the Seal of Biliteracy will be honored with a special seal on their high school diplomas. 

Students who fulfilled the World Language eligibility criteria through MVLA coursework, or who will complete their level 4 or 5 course during their senior year, do not need to apply/ no need to submit an application. These students will receive an email confirming their status as “awarded” or “award pending” sent to their MVLA email account in Arpil. Students who intend to fulfill the World Language eligibility criteria by exam (AP, SAT II, certified agency) must submit an application with documentation to verify their exam results. Please fill out the Seal of Biliteracy Application by the March 31, 2023 deadline.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

  1. To qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy, students must satisfy the following criteria:
    Fulfillment of all MVLA high school graduation and state prerequisites, including a minimum overall GPA of 2.0 up to the Fall Semester of the 12th grade
  2. Attainment of a "standard met" or higher achievement level in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) for English language arts, administered during the eleventh grade.
  3. Maintenance of at least a 2.0 GPA in English courses (up to the Fall semester of the 12th grade) and English Language Development (ELD) courses.
  4. Meeting ONE of the subsequent language requisites:
    1. Scoring "3" or higher on the Advanced Placement (AP) exam for the relevant world language.
    2. Successful completion of a fourth-year MVLA World Language course with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
    3. Achieving a score of 600 or more on the Scholastic Assessment Test II (SAT II) Foreign Language Exam.
    4.  
    5. Passing a certified language assessment for languages not provided within our district's courses. Students must independently undertake these language assessments. A list of available language assessment agencies can be found in this document.
If your primary language is not English and you have taken the English Language Proficiency Assessment for California (ELPAC), you must attain an overall score of "4" (well-developed) in the most recent school year.
 
For guidelines on how to provide documentation demonstrating your eligibility in each of these categories, please refer to the application.
Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT DOCUMENTATION DO I NEED FOR THE SEAL OF BILITERACY APPLICATION?

  • The following forms of documentation will be accepted:
  • Unofficial MVLA transcript: for grades, GPA, coursework
  • A copy of your official score report: for SAT subject tests, AP exams, ELPAC results (EL students)
  • EL students who cannot locate their official ELPAC score reports should contact their school's EL Program Assistant for a printout of their scores.

IN WHAT LANGUAGE CAN I APPLY FOR THE SEAL OF BILITERACY?

  • MVLA is offering the Seal of Biliteracy in Chinese (Mandarin), French, Japanese, Latin, and Spanish.
Other languages can apply but student must take language proficiency exam through a certified agency.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I QUALIFY FOR THE SEAL OF BILITERACY?

  • The Seal of Biliteracy acknowledges a student's language proficiency in both English and another language. As part of the application process, it is crucial to provide documentation (such as an unofficial MVLA transcript or an AP score report) to demonstrate that you have satisfied all the eligibility criteria. You can find a comprehensive list of these criteria within the application itself and on this webpage.

WHAT IF I AM CURRENTLY IN AN MVLA LEVEL 4H NOW? I WON’T HAVE COMPLETED THE COURSE BEFORE THE APPLICATIONS ARE DUE.

 
If you meet all other eligibility criteria and are currently enrolled in a course to fulfill the language proficiency requirement, you will be designated as "conditionally accepted" until final grades are posted in June. As long as you successfully complete the course with the appropriate grades, you can anticipate receiving your Seal of Biliteracy alongside your diploma.
 

WHAT IF I AM TAKING THE AP EXAM FOR THE LANGUAGE THIS SPRING? CAN I STILL APPLY?

First, verify if you meet the eligibility criteria through other means (e.g., coursework). If not, you can still submit your application by the specified deadline. In this case, your application will be marked as "conditionally accepted," and you will receive your diploma without the Seal of Biliteracy until you provide your exam score report. Please note that school offices are closed during the summer, so you'll need to wait until August to submit your exam report and receive your Seal of Biliteracy. It's crucial to ensure that you submit your exam score report no later than August 12; otherwise, your application will be considered incomplete, and you will not receive the Seal.
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