Seal of Biliteracy

Seal of Biliteracy
What is the Seal of Biliteracy?

The New York State Seal of Biliteracy (NYSSB) was established to recognize high school graduates who have attained high school level of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in one or more languages, in addition to English.

What is the purpose of the Seal of Biliteracy?

-Affirm the value of diversity in a multilingual society
-Encourage the study of languages
-Identify high school graduates with language in biliteracy skills for employers
-Provide universities with additional information about applicants seeking admission
-Prepare students with 21st century skills
-Recognize the value of world and home language instruction in schools



Who Qualifies for the Seal of Biliteracy?

Students are eligible to attain the Seal of Biliteracy based on evidence of achieving the state-determined level of proficiency in English as well as one of more additional languages, be that language a native language, heritage language or a language learned in school or another setting.

Biliteracy refers to having a functional level of proficiency in each language; the level of proficiency is not necessarily identical for both languages