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The State Seal of Biliteracy

Award honors students’ multilingual talents

On Monday April 22, 2014, the Department of Multilingual Education held its 3rd Annual Biliteracy Awards Ceremony at the Fredrick Wentworth Center located at 2707 Transworld Drive, Stockton.  The purpose of this event is to recognize students who have studied and attained a high level of proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English.  Two hundred twenty nine graduating high school seniors qualified to receive the State Seal of Biliteracy and were recognized with a medallion, certificate and seal from the California Department of Education which attaches to their high school diploma.  This is a statement of accomplishment for both college admissions and future employers.  An additional 123 students were honored for our Pathways to Biliteracy award which recognizes students who demonstrate that they are developing their biliteracy skills through various criteria.  We hope to encourage these younger students to continue studying a second or third language as they enter high school.

The ultimate goal of this award is to encourage bilingualism for students as 21st century language and communication skills are critical for being college and career ready.  In Superintendent Torlakson’s ‘Blueprint for Great Schools’, he calls for biliteracy for all students.  These are the students who will be equipped to be leaders in international trade, the global economy and public service vital to our diverse communities.   Moreover, there is strong research on the brain benefits, educational benefits, labor marker benefits and social benefits of mastery of two or more languages.

For more information about the State Seal of Biliteracy or the Pathways, please contact Karin at 468-4978.

Posted: 4/29/2014