Seal of Biliteracy

I came across a new recognition that graduating seniors can receive: a seal of biliteracy affirming their proficiency in English and an additional language. My state, Maryland, adopted this last year, but it's unclear how many counties participate in it. A recent story in the Washington Post describes how students in Montgomery County, just south of where I am, earned this distinction. Many started their second language coursework in middle school and continued through high school, while others attended other language-speaking schools in their home countries before coming to Maryland.

Wouldn't this be a great way to give some extra kudos to all the ELLs that start learning English when they enroll with us in middle or high school? Many of our students are literate in their first language and would easily be able to pass the AAPPL test (which, at $20, is a lot cheaper than an AP exam). There are some hurdles: students have to pass the English 10 PARCC, which is a stumbling block for our students. But if they can meet that requirement by completing Bridge projects (which is how the vast majority of our secondary ELLs do it anyway), it would be really special for the school system to visibly praise their bilingualism. All too often we look at ELLs through a deficit model lens. This new seal of biliteracy is an important step in declaring their first language proficiency an asset.

#ELL #bilingual