Ossining Students Taking Advantage of Seal of Biliteracy Program

Sixteen students in the Ossining High School Class of 2019 graduated with a Seal of Biliteracy credential, meaning they are highly proficient in listening, speaking, reading and writing in one or more languages, in addition to English.

This is the third year that the district has offered the Seal of Biliteracy option. “It’s a way to recognize the linguistic richness of our students,” said Nancy de la Cruz-Arroyo, director of bilingual, English as a new language and funded programs for Ossining schools.

Most of the students who earned the seal this year were English language learners or were in the dual language program. “This is going to be an asset to them in recognizing that they are bilingual and in many cases multilingual,” Ms. de la Cruz-Arroyo said.

The state Board of Regents approved the Seal of Biliteracy in 2016 to encourage students to study world languages, recognize the value of learning foreign languages, and provide universities and employers with a means of identifying people with language and biliteracy skills.

The number of schools in New York that have a Seal of Biliteracy program has been growing. In 2018-19, 229 schools in 166 districts offered the credential, according to the state Education Department. New York has more than 725 public school districts.

At OHS, students must take world language and English language arts classes, earn a grade point average of 85 or above in them, obtain teacher recommendations, and complete 20 hours of community service in the target language.

The district facilitates opportunities for students to volunteer throughout the school year, such as being greeters at a Back to School Night or helping during an Academic Parent-Teacher Team meeting. Their work has to be in the language they are pursing the Seal of Biliteracy in, Ms. de la Cruz-Arroyo said.

To demonstrate proficiency in English, they have to score 80 or higher on the state English Language Arts Regents Exam; score a 3 or higher on the Advanced Placement English Language or English Literature exam; and present a culminating project, essay or portfolio that meets the criteria for speaking, listening, reading and writing.

With the school district’s dual language program starting in pre-kindergarten, it made sense to seek approval from the state education department for a Seal of Biliteracy program, Ms. de la Cruz-Arroyo said. The parents of the first group of students in the dual language program were instrumental in making this happen, she said.

“I think there is a growing awareness that this is a prestigious recognition of our students’ bilingualism,” she said.