The State Seal of Biliteracy is recognition from the State Superintendent of Public Instruction of graduating high school students who have attained a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in one or more languages in addition to English.
This program began at the state level in 2012, and the KHSD was one of the first districts in California to implement the State Seal of Biliteracy. The KHSD has increased participation and completion of this innovative program every year.
In 2012, 156 KHSD students achieved this distinguished honor. That number rose in 2013 to 264 students, and in 2014, there were 284 eligible KHSD students. In 2015, 502 KHSD students were eligible. That number increased to 638 in 2016. In 2017, 807 KHSD students received the State Seal of Biliteracy which is an 18% increase from 2016. All 18 of our comprehensive campuses are participating in the program.
To be eligible for a State Seal of Biliteracy, a student must complete:
- All English Language Arts requirements with an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher
- Passing state or local English language standards test proving proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English, through one of the following:
- Passing an Advanced Placement (AP) Exam with a 3 or higher
- Completing a 4-year course in foreign language with 3.0 or higher
- Passing Scholastic Assessment Test II (SAT II) Foreign Language Exam with a score of 600 or higher
If the primary language of a student is other than English, he or she must:
- Attain proficiency level on California English Language Development Test
- Meet all criteria listed above
Besides creating educational partnerships, the increase in the State Seal of Biliteracy numbers in the KHSD reinforces our commitment to working with the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) to promote CABE’s mission statement, which includes “biliteracy, educational equity, and 21st-century success for all students.”