Seal of Biliteracy

Glenbrook South is proud to offer the State Seal of Biliteracy to qualifying students who demonstrate a high level of proficiency in English as well as another language. 

What is the Seal of Biliteracy?

The State Seal is an award given to high school graduates that appears as a seal on their diploma and is included on the official transcript to certify that the student is biliterate in English and one or more languages.  A biliterate person can read, write, speak, and understand another language in addition to English at the Intermediate High level of proficiency.

Why is the State Seal of Biliteracy valuable?

Benefits of this recognition include, but are not limited to:

• Distinguishing one’s resume and college application
  • Article from Fatherly, "Learning a Foreign Language Helps Kids Think and Make Money. Why Don’t American Parents Care?"

• Sharing one’s proficiency level for scholarship & career opportunities; 

• Earning college credit; Illinois law requires Illinois state universities to award credit; 
• Understanding one’s proficiency level in order to set advanced language goals; and
• Speaking more than one language improves cognitive function across the board, from planning and working memory to concentration and multitasking. (Source: New Scientist)

Which languages are approved for 2023-24?

The languages with the option for this recognition are based on the availability of assessments currently approved by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The current list includes Arabic, ASL, Bulgarian, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and many more. A full list of approved languages can be found on ISBE's website. Glenbrook South is able to offer tests for many of these languages.

How does a student qualify for the State Seal? 

Students are required to meet the state standard for English and attain an "Intermediate High" rating in all four skills.

English Requirement–must meet at least one of the following minimums:

• ACT (21 composite or 19 language) 
• SAT (480 EBRW)
• ACCESS for ELL (4.8 composite)
• AP English Language Exam (4 or 5)

 World Language Requirement-must attain an "Intermediate High" Rating in all four skills:

• AP Language & Culture (4 or 5)
• AAPPL (I5), ALTA (1+), STAMP (6)
• Ellinomatheia (Greek) / Bulgarian - B1