Seal of Biliteracy

The Seal of Biliteracy is a recognition awarded to students who have demonstrated a high level of proficiency in at least one world language and English by high school graduation. Students can earn the Jeffco Seal of Biliteracy, the Colorado Seal of Biliteracy, or both.

Benefits of the Seal of Biliteracy

Academic Recognition
Career Readiness

Academic Recognition

Many colleges and universities recognize the Jeffco and Colorado Seals of Biliteracy, with possible benefits such as:

Advanced placement in college language courses
College credit for language courses
More competitive applications for scholarships and admissions.

Check with your desired institute of higher learning to see what academic recognitions may be available.

Career Readiness

The Seal of Biliteracy provides employers with a verifiable way to identify candidates with valuable bilingual and bicultural skills, enhancing their career opportunities and potentially leading to more advanced positions.

In a recent survey of U.S. employers, 66% reported valuing foreign language skills in the hiring process and 41% reported giving preference to multilingual job candidates (Damari et al., 2017). There is also a growing need for bilingual employees across a wide range of occupations, regardless of educational requirements or salary (New American Economy, 2017).

Bilingual employees can earn 5% to 20% more per hour than their monolingual counterparts due to the increased value they bring to companies by expanding client reach and improving communication with diverse customers.

Criteria for Earning a Seal of Biliteracy

Jeffco vs. Colorado Seal

The Jeffco Seal of Biliteracy and the Colorado Seal of Biliteracy both require graduates to show proficiency in English and another language. Each seal has its own criteria.

Jeffco is proud to offer students both options, and many students meet the criteria for both the Jeffco Seal of Biliteracy and the Colorado Seal of Biliteracy.

Jeffco Seal of Biliteracy Criteria
Colorado Seal of Biliteracy Criteria

Jeffco Seal of Biliteracy Criteria

To meet the Jeffco Seal of Biliteracy minimum requirements, a graduating student must:

1.) Demonstrate English proficiency by meeting all Jeffco graduation requirements, including those in English Language Arts (ELA)

AND

2.) Demonstrate proficiency in a World Language by any ONE of the following:

Successfully completing a 4-year high school course of study of a single World Language (reaching Level IV or higher) with an overall grade-point average of at least 3.0¹
Scoring 3 or higher on a World Language Advanced Placement (AP) exam
Scoring 4 or higher on World Language International Baccalaureate exam (SL or HL)
Receiving an AAPPL (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking) Assessment score of 4 or higher²
Achieving a passing score on a nationally recognized exam³

¹Available in Jeffco for ASL, French, German, Latin, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish

²AAPPL available for Arabic, ASL, Mandarin Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian & Spanish

³If an AP or IB exam is not available for a student’s language, achieving a passing score on a CDE identified summative test in WL that is comparable in rigor to the AP/IB exams test can be accepted. For more information, please contact JeffcoSoBL@jeffco.k12.co.us.

Colorado Seal of Biliteracy Criteria

To meet Colorado Seal of Biliteracy minimum requirements, a graduating student must:

1.) Complete all English Language Arts (ELA) coursework required for graduation with an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 in the required courses.

AND

2.) Demonstrate proficiency in English by:

Scoring 470 or higher on the SAT section of "Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing”
Scoring 25 or higher on ACT both in English and Reading
Scoring 3 or higher on the Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition or the AP English Literature and Composition exam
Scoring 4 or higher on the English A, English Literature A or English A1 of the International Baccalaureate exam

AND

3.) Demonstrate proficiency in a World Language by:

Successfully completing a 4-year high school course of study of a single World Language (reaching Level IV or higher) with an overall grade-point average of at least 3.0¹
Scoring 3 or higher on a World Language Advanced Placement (AP) exam
Scoring 4 or higher on World Language International Baccalaureate exam (SL or HL)
Receiving an AAPPL (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking) Assessment score of 4 or higher²
Achieving a passing score on a nationally recognized exam³

¹Available in Jeffco for ASL, French, German, Latin, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish

²AAPPL available for Arabic, ASL, Mandarin Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian & Spanish

Becoming a Candidate for the Seal of Biliteracy

Students in grades 6-12 who meet any of the following criteria are automatically assigned to a Seal of Biliteracy academic program:

The student enrolls in a World Language Course, or
The student has a language background other than English, or
The student is enrolled in a Jeffco elementary dual language school

Once assigned to an academic program, any coursework or assessments related to criteria for qualification is automatically tracked and when a student meets all criteria for the Jeffco and/or Colorado Seals of Biliteracy, the recognition is added to their transcript.

Note: There is no negative impact on students who are not pursuing or do not achieve the Seal of Biliteracy.

Viewing Your Student’s Progress Toward the Seal of Biliteracy

Viewing Your Student’s Progress Toward the Seal of Biliteracy

Parents can view their student progress toward the Seal of Biliteracy if the student’s school has academic progress set as a display option in Infinite Campus.

Viewing Progress in Parent Portal - Video Tutorial
Viewing Progress in Student Portal - Video Tutorial

Once a student meets all criteria for the Seal of Biliteracy, the recognition will be added to the student's transcript.

If your student’s school has academic progress set as a display option in Infinite Campus, you can view/print a certificate by going to Documents > Counseling in the Parent Portal.

Viewing Certificates in Parent Portal - Video Tutorial
Viewing Certificates in Student Portal - Video Tutorial

If you do not have viewing rights to academic progress, please contact your student’s counselor to receive a certificate.

To obtain a copy of a transcript showing the Seal(s) of Biliteracy earned, see Viewing Student Transcripts in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal

Contact Us

Email: JeffcoSoBL@jeffco.k12.co.us