Record Number Of Graduates Earn Illinois Seal Of Biliteracy

Press release from East Aurora School District 131:

May 11, 2020

Thirty-four seniors from the East Aurora High School Class of 2020 will graduate with an Illinois Seal of Biliteracy, while 28 graduating seniors earning a Commendation toward Biliteracy.

Four seniors from this year’s graduating class—Anahi Arres, Alondra Huipe, Josseline Javier, and Melissa Tovar, will graduate with both the Seal (in Spanish) and Commendation (in French). One student, Daniel Maldonado, will graduate with Commendation in two languages (Spanish and French).

The Illinois Seal of Biliteracy is an award bestowed by the Illinois State Board of Education in recognition of students who have attained a “high level of proficiency” in one or more languages, in addition to English, at the time of their high school graduation.

The Commendation toward Biliteracy is a recognition given to graduating high school students who have demonstrated “significant progress toward achieving a high level of proficiency” in English, and in reading, writing, listening and speaking in another language.

Melissa Tovar, one of the four seniors who earned both a Seal and Commendation, pursued the Seal and the Commendation after learning about the tests from Ms. Sarah Birdsall, her French teacher. “Last year, during my junior year, Ms. Birdsall told us about the test, and said that native speakers should definitely consider it.”

Tovar credits Birdsall, as well as Ms. Gomez, with the inspiration to explore language learning. “My first year, Ms. Gomez was an amazing teacher because she really made me immerse myself in the class, and appreciate the French language and want to keep going.”

“Ms. Birdsall as well, a phenomenal teacher. She really teaches us and pushes us to keep on practicing our French through videos, and through conversations with our friends.”

The 34 students earning the Seal of Biliteracy this year represent the highest numbers of award earners in District 131 since the award began. Illinois officially adopted the Seal of Biliteracy in 2013, and District 131 began participation in the program in 2016. The Seal is affixed to the student’s official diploma.

While many students today are bilingual, there is a distinct difference between being bilingual, and biliterate. A person who is bilingual can fluently speak two languages. A person who is biliterate can read and write proficiently in two languages. A person who is biliterate is also considered bilingual, but a person who is bilingual is not necessarily biliterate.

One of the great benefits of earning the Seal of Biliteracy is that students earn two years of foreign language credit at any Illinois public university.

By law, Illinois public universities will accept the State Seal of Biliteracy as an equivalent of two (2) years of foreign language coursework taken during high school if a student’s high school transcript indicates that he or she received the State Seal of Biliteracy. Many universities waive any foreign language requirements and/or grant course credit for students who have earned the Seal of Biliteracy.

The Seal of Biliteracy, along with the Commendation, provides universities with an additional method to recognize applicants seeking admission. It also provides employers with a method of identifying people with language biliteracy skills.

To qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy award, students must demonstrate proficiency in English and a foreign language. Students can demonstrate proficiency in English by:

• Earning a minimum of 480 on the Evidence Based Reading & Writing (EBRW) portion of the SAT, OR
• Earning a minimum score of I-5 in each of the four domains (listening, speaking, reading, & writing) on the ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Language (AAPPL) Measure, OR
• Earning an overall score of 4.8 or better on the ACCESS for ELLs test, taken while in high school.

Students can demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language by:

• Earning a score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Language and Culture Exam, OR
• Earning a minimum score of I-5 in each of the four domains (listening, speaking, reading, & writing) of the ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Language (AAPPL) Measure.

To qualify for the Commendation award, students must demonstrate proficiency in English and a foreign language. Students can demonstrate proficiency in English by:

• Earning a minimum of 480 on the Evidence Based Reading & Writing (EBRW) portion of the SAT, OR
• Earning a minimum score of I-1 in each of the four domains (listening, speaking, reading, & writing) on the ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Language (AAPPL) Measure, OR
• Earning an overall score of 3.5 or better on literacy portion of the ACCESS for ELLs test, taken while in high school.

Students can demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language by:

• Earning a minimum score of 3 on the Advanced Placement Language and Culture Exam, OR
• Earning a minimum score of I-1 in each of the four domains (listening, speaking, reading, & writing) of the ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Language (AAPPL) Measure.

Earning a Seal of Biliteracy, or Commendation toward Biliteracy, helps fulfill District 131’s vision that future graduates will be confident and productive global citizens, committed to improving their community.

The Seal of Biliteracy recognizes the importance of language and how it helps prepare students for global citizenship. Not only is learning a language beneficial to students’ cognitive development, it also provides opportunities for students to participate effectively in global political, social, cultural, and economic contexts.

The demand for employees to be fluent in more than one language is increasing rapidly at home and throughout the world. The Seal of Biliteracy builds upon the rich linguistic and cultural assets of the district and community, providing students with the necessary skills to be successful in college, career, and life.

Congratulations to our Class of 2020 graduates who have earned either a Seal of Biliteracy or Commendation toward Biliteracy:

Seal of Biliteracy
Evelina Acevedo (Spanish)
Anahi Arres (Spanish)
Nancy Bravo (Spanish)
Emiliano Castaneda (Spanish)
Michelle Enciso (Spanish)
Daniel Escobar (Spanish)
Nathalie Flores (Spanish)
Alejandro Galvez (Spanish)
Edwin Garcia (Spanish)
Giovanny Gomez (Spanish)
Naomi Gutierrez (Spanish)
David Hernandez (Spanish)
Jovanny Hernandez (Spanish)
Arthur Hernandez (Spanish)
Alondra Huipe (Spanish)
Abigail Jacome (Spanish)
Josseline Javier (Spanish)
Angy Lopez (Spanish)
Margarita Medina (Spanish)
Kevin Molina (Spanish)
Kathato Mthethwa (Spanish)
Nicholas Nunez (Spanish)
Ariana Nunez (Spanish)
Jesus Renteria (Spanish)
Rosa Reyes-Rios (Spanish)
Isaac Rivera (Spanish)
Jazmin Rodriguez (Spanish)
Nayeli Ruiz (Spanish)
Leslie Tepox (Spanish)
Melissa Tovar (Spanish)
Sebastian Valerio (Spanish)
Marcos Valerio (Spanish)
Erika Villalpando (Spanish)
Itzel Villasenor (Spanish)

Commendation toward Biliteracy
Omar Alvarado (Spanish)
Anahi Arres (French)
Cynthia Avitia (Spanish)
Martin Barrios (Spanish)
Jaquelin Contreras (Spanish)
Maria Corral (Spanish)
Michelle Diaz (Spanish)
Omar Garcia (Spanish)
Cristian Garnica-Donato (Spanish)
Yarely Gonzalez (Spanish)
Jesseira Gonzalez (Spanish)
Yvette Guerrero (Spanish)
Esmerelda Hernandez (Spanish)
Oscar Hernandez Corona (Spanish)
Alondra Huipe (French)
Josseline Javier (French)
Arely Junez (Spanish)
Daniel Maldonado (Spanish)
Daniel Maldonado (French)
Andrea Ortiz (Spanish)
Evelyn Ortiz (Spanish)
Monserrat Parra Gonzalez (Spanish)
Joseline Rios (Spanish)
Jared Rivera (Spanish)
Adrianna Rodriguez (Spanish)
Ana Romero Guzman (Spanish)
Leslie Sanchez (Spanish)
Yarely Torres (Spanish)
Melissa Tovar (French)

This press release was produced by East Aurora School District 131. The views expressed here are the author’s own.