Newark High School Sees Big Jump In Biliteracy

NEWARK, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the Newark Board of Education. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

District officials recently announced that 180 East Side High School seniors have qualified for the New Jersey State Seal of Biliteracy, which is awarded to students who demonstrate reading, writing, speaking and listening proficiency in at least one other language in addition to English. This distinctive honor will be noted on the students’ high school transcripts.

It is particularly noteworthy that East Side’s number of students to earn the distinction is nearly 70 percent of the district’s total number of students to earn the Seal of Biliteracy last year, which was 260.

“Mastering more than one language is an extraordinary skill that opens doors to new opportunities and fosters deeper connections within our diverse communities,” said Superintendent León. “The 180 East Side High School students who have earned the New Jersey Seal of Biliteracy have demonstrated academic excellence and a commitment to embracing multilingualism as a bridge to the world. I congratulate these students on their outstanding achievement and commend the educators and families who have supported them on this journey.”

“To receive this honor, a student must be more than conversationally fluent in a second language. A student needs to have developed true mastery of English and another language,” said Board of Education President Hasani K. Council. “That is why we are so very proud of these students, who have achieved the Seal of Biliteracy. Their enhanced abilities to communicate enable them to have a greater impact on the world, as well as our communities here in Newark.”

“Earning the New Jersey Seal of Biliteracy is a tremendous accomplishment, and I am incredibly proud of our 180 seniors who have demonstrated true mastery of multiple languages,” said East Side High School Principal Carlos Rodriguez. “Their dedication to academic excellence and bilingual proficiency will serve them well in their future endeavors—whether in higher education, careers, or their contributions to our global society. Congratulations to our students, their families, and our educators for this well-earned achievement.”

To qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy, students must demonstrate proficiency in English by meeting state high school graduation requirements, and as well as demonstrating proficiency in a foreign language other than English by passing an international language proficiency test and demonstrating ability to read, write, speak and listen in that language.

The Seal of Biliteracy includes a certificate prepared by the New Jersey Department of Education as well as a notation on the student transcript that the seal will be awarded in a specific language. The district’s Bilingual Department will award medals to each student upon their graduations.

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