Seal of Biliteracy

About

Barrington High School students have the opportunity to be recognized by the State of Illinois for earning proficiency in English and an additional language. The Illinois State Board of Education's Seal of Biliteracy Program allows an official seal to be placed on diplomas and official recognition to appear on transcripts of students who qualify. Two honors are available to students:

  • The Seal of Biliteracy is awarded to those whose proficiency level in a second language is equivalent to the Intermediate High scale set by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
  • The Commendation Toward Biliteracy is awarded to students whose proficiency level is rated at Intermediate Low or Intermediate Mid in a second language.
     

Qualification

To qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy, students must: 

  • Earn a minimum composite score of 21 on an official administration of the ACT ...OR
  • Earn a minimum score of Meets State Standards in English Language Arts on an official administration of the SAT ...OR
  • Earn a minimum overall score of 5.0 with minimum subtest scores in reading and writing of 4.2 on the ACCESS for ELLs exam
     

AND

  • Earn a minimum score of I-5 on all components of ACTFL's Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) exam. The following languages can be assessed with them AAPPL exam: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish .... OR
  • Earn a 4 or 5 in the Advanced Placement Language and Culture Exam 
     

To qualify for the Commendation Toward Biliteracy, students must: 

  • Earn a minimum composite score of 21 on an official administration of the ACT ...OR 
  • Earn a minimum score of Meets Standards on an official administration of the SAT ...OR
  • Earn a minimum overall score of 5.0 with minimum subtest scores in reading and writing of 4.2 on the ACCESS for ELLS exam
     

AND 

  • Earn a minimum score of I-1, I-2, I-3, or I-4 on all components of ACTFL's Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) exam. The following languages can be assessed with them AAPPL exam: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish ... OR
  • Earn a score of 3 on the Advanced Placement Language and Culture Exam 
     

Additionally, students of Latin may qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy by showing English Proficiency through qualifying ACT, SAT, or ACCESS scores and by earning a minimum score of I-5 on ACTFL's Latin Interpretive Reading Assessment (ALIRA). A qualifying English proficiency score and an ALIRA score of I-1, I-2, I-3, or I-4 will earn a Commendation Toward Biliteracy. For more information, contact Dr. Kathryn B. Wolfkiel, Barrington High School Department Chair of World Language and ELL, at kwolfkiel@barrington220.org or 847-842-3223.