Becoming proficient in a second language in the Central Bucks School District can now earn you a Pennsylvania Seal of Biliteracy.
The district is the first in Bucks County to award the seal to those who reach intermediate to high proficiency in English and one or more world languages upon graduating from high school, the school district recently announced.
Central Bucks’ world languages curriculum coordinator Stacy Gray first brought the idea to the district in 2017, after she learned about the program when it was introduced in California.
“I first learned of the Seal of Biliteracy when California’s program took root in 2011 as a way to recognize the linguistic talents of English language development students in that state,” Gray told the school board earlier this month.
After that she went to Harrisburg to see if Pennsylvania had any similar program and started to explore implementing it in Central Bucks. It wasn’t until last March that the Pennsylvania Department of Education announced its Pennsylvania Seal of Biliteracy. And, this month the CBSD adopted it, following the research of a committee of faculty, administrators and community members.
The nationally recognized award is seen as a way for students to stand out to potential employers, the U.S. military and college admissions professionals. The seal may also qualify for college credits, the school district said.
“As we prepare our students to choose their future pathways, it’s our goal to give them as many competitive edges as possible,” Gray said. “According to Indeed.com, the state of Pennsylvania has over 8,539 vacant jobs for bilingual workers.”
Being multilingual and biliterate is a valuable skill set, said Gray, and offers many opportunities for students who can speak and write in Spanish, French, Latin or Chinese.
Gray shared CB student Petrina Mitre’s thoughts on the seal.
“I plan on going to college, and I know that the Seal of Biliteracy is something that will definitely help me and other bilingual students like me, when applying to colleges, said the CB South senior. “Not only will it help us stand out in the thousands of applications, but it will also show our notable accomplishment of learning a second language,” she said.
To learn more about the Seal of Biliteracy, visit www.cbsd.org/sealofbiliteracy.
Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.
