Seals of Biliteracy: Supporting LCTL Access and Equity

1292 

Research-Oriented Paper 

Non-language specific 

English 

Ayumi Stockman  
Minnesota Department of Education, Office of Equity and Opportunity

Ayumi Stockman  
Minnesota Department of Education, Office of Equity and Opportunity

Kendall King  
University of Minnesota

State seals of biliteracy are awards given to U.S. high school graduates who demonstrate high levels of proficiency in a language other than English. Seals are an important recognition and powerful step towards reframing multilingualism and multiliteracy as individual and societal assets.

Yet while seals are technically available to nearly all U.S. high school graduates, access is biased toward students of widely taught languages and students residing in large or well resourced districts. Speakers of less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) and heritage languages (HLs) as well as learners in rural districts earn the seals at comparatively far lower rates (King, 2022).

The Equity and Access to the State Seal of Biliteracy project aims to address these inequities by examining data, implementation practices, and need analysis through focus groups and surveys. Based on these findings and federal grant support, the first-ever national website is underdevelopment.

This presentation overviews efforts to support equity and access to the state seal of biliteracy in less commonly taught languages. Presenters discuss findings from a national level needs analysis conducted through surveys and focus groups and provide rationale for a toolkit currently under development for a national audience.

All Audiences

Equitable and Inclusive Practices