• Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy

    Overview

    Indian Prairie School District 204 has established the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy program to recognize high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English.

    The Seal of Biliteracy is awarded to those who demonstrate proficiency in English and whose second language proficiency level is equivalent to Intermediate-High, as determined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.  

    A student can also qualify for a State Commendation Toward Biliteracy. This designation would be given in his/her transcripts.

    To qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy by their senior year of high school, students must demonstrate proficiency in English by:

    • Earning a minimum score of 4 in the Advanced Placement (AP) English Exam
    • Earning a minimum score of 21 in Reading/Writing on the ACT exam
    • Earning a minimum score of 480 in Reading/Writing on the SAT exam
    • Earning a minimum overall score of 4.8 on the ACCESS 2.0 for ELLs exam, OR
    • Earning an Intermediate-High score requirement in each domain (Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing) in the STAMP 4S English Exam

    Students must demonstrate proficiency in Foreign Language by:

    • Earning a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) language exam taken prior to this school year OR
    • Earn a composite score of Intermediate-High on the ACTFL’s Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) exam through the Spanish or French class at their high school
    • Earning a minimum score of Intermediate-High in the Avant’s STAMP 4S language proficiency exam. The following languages can be assessed and accepted by IPSD 204 with the STAMP 4S exam: Arabic, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified and Traditional), Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Spanish, and ASL (American Sign Language, OR
    • Earning a minimum score of 1+ Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) in the ALTA Speaking and Listening Assessment, Reading Assessment, and Writing Assessment. The following languages can be assessed and accepted by IPSD 204 with the ALTA exam: Albanian, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Farsi, Finnish, Gujarati, Hmong, Hungarian, Indonesian, Kannada, Kurdish (Kur Manji and Sorani), Lithuanian, Malayalam, Navajo, Norwegian, Pashto (Pakistan), Punjabi (Eastern and Western), Romanian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Swedish, Tagalog, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, and Vietnamese.
    • **If there are other languages not listed in the ALTA Assessments or for more information, please contact Dr. Rafael Segarra, Director of English Language Learners.

    There are three steps involved in the process

    1. Apply for Language Testing 
      • You must fill out the online registration form linked here to register for language testing this year.
      • If you are planning to apply for more than one Seal of Biliteracy, please complete an additional application for each language.
      • You must register to pay for STAMP 4S, or  ALTA prior to the testing date.
      • ALTA test for various languages. ALTA Languages.

      Test Dates and Times:

      • Test #1 (10/19/2024): 8am – 1pm Registration Window (09/13/2024 - 10/11/2024 @ 3pm) Open to ALL
      • Test #2 (02/01/2025): 8am – 1pm Registration Window (11/25/2024 - 01/24/2025 @ 3pm) Open to ALL
         
    2. Provide Proof of Payment 
      • STAMP 4S - Provide proof of payment to the testing proctor on the day of the exam.
      • ALTA - Submit proof of payment prior to receiving login information.

         3. Apply for the Seal of Biliteracy in your SENIOR year

      • Complete this Seal of Biliteracy Application Form SENIORS ONLY, once you have scores to prove proficiency in English AND a language other than English.
      • ALL seniors are required to apply (or reapply) with this application during their SENIOR year in order to receive the Seal of Biliteracy (not before your senior year).
      • We will verify your scores and you will receive information and recognition from your individual high school.

    General Information