Illinois Seal of Biliteracy
What is the Illinois Seal of Biliteracy?
Community High School District 218 students have the opportunity to earn the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy by demonstrating high levels of proficiency in English and an additional language, including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Thai.
What are the benefits of the Illinois Seal of Biliteracy?
Per 105 ILCS 5/2-3.159, all Illinois public colleges and universities must accept the State
Seal of Biliteracy as equivalent to two years of foreign language coursework and must also award course credit.
Students who earn the Seal of Biliteracy receive official seals on their diplomas and transcripts, and receive a certificate of bilinguality from the State. Because we think knowing multiple languages is something to be celebrated, students will also earn a graduation cord to mark their accomplishment.
Per 105 ILCS 5/2-3.159, all Illinois public colleges and universities must accept the State
Seal of Biliteracy as equivalent to two years of foreign language coursework and must also award course credit. Many private or out-of-state universities waive any foreign language requirements and/or grant course credit for students who have earned the Seal of Biliteracy.
How do you earn it?
Students earn the Illinois Seal of Biliteracy by doing 2 things:
- Demonstrating proficiency in English on the SAT, AP, ACT, or ACCESS
- Demonstrating proficiency in a second language on the AP test or the AAPPL
How do I demonstrate my ENGLISH proficiency?
Earn one of the following:
- 480 ELA SAT score
- 21 English score on the ACT
- 4 or 5 on an AP English Language or Literature exam
- 4.8 on the ACCESS test (English Language Learners only)
How do I demonstrate proficiency in my new language?
Earn one of the following:
- 4 or 5 on the AP French, Spanish or German test
- I-5 (intermediate high proficiency) or higher on the AAPPL (or other State-approved language test). You can read about the differences between proficiency levels here.
What’s the AAPPL?
The AAPPL is a four part online test that assesses Interpersonal Listening/Speaking, Presentational Writing, Interpretive Reading, and Interpretive Listening, all the skills you have been practicing in class. You can take it at home with a parent/guardian serving as a proctor or at school with your teacher. Complete this form to request a test.
Why would I take the AAPPL if I plan to take the AP test?
If a student enrolled in AP as a senior would like to be recognized at graduation with a cord, diploma seal and updated transcripts, the AAPPL would be needed as AP scores are not available until after graduation. Additionally, the AAPPL is an opportunity for practice on the AP test.
What practice is there for the AAPPL?
These links will send you to videos to give you tips on how to achieve your highest score possible on the AAPPL: Speaking Reading and Listening Writing
This link will bring you to the demos that allow you to do a practice in all four domains of the assessment. Scroll down to the correct language and be sure to select Form B: Demos
What if I don’t pass?
Students can take the AAPPL as many times as they like, only needing to repeat the sections that they didn’t pass. If you’d like to try again, fill out this request form indicating which part(s) of the test you’d like to retake. As long as grant funds are available, tests will be free of charge. Once funding runs out, there will be a $5 charge for each portion of the test.
I have more questions. Who do I talk to?
Please contact Karen Krueger, Curriculum Director for Foreign Language at District 218. [email protected]
More information can also be found on the Illinois Seal of Biliteracy website and the AAPPL website.
