Colorado Seal of Biliteracy

Seal of Biliteracy Status

Approved State Seal

Adoption Date

2017-03-30

Website(s)

Visit Site

State Contact(s)

Morgan Cox
Cox_M@cde.state.co.us

Colorado State Info:

SENATE BILL 17-123

BY SENATOR(S) Priola and Zenzinger, Baumgardner, Court, Crowder, Donovan, Fenberg, Fields, Garcia, Jahn, Jones, Kagan, Kefalas, Kerr, Martinez Humenik, Merrifield, Moreno, Sonnenberg, Todd, Williams A., Grantham; also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Hamner and Wilson, Arndt, Becker K., Benavidez, Bridges, Buckner, Coleman, Danielson, Esgar, Exum, Foote, Garnett, Gina!, Gray, Hansen, Herod, Hooton, Jackson, Kennedy, Kraft-Tharp, Lawrence, Lebsock, Lee, Lontine, McLachlan, Melton, Michaelson Jenet, Mitsch Bush, Pettersen, Rosenthal, Salazar, Singer, Valdez, Weissman, Winter, Young, Duran.

CONCERNING A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA ENDORSEMENT FOR BILITERACY.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:

SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 22-7-1009.5 as follows:

22-7-1009.5. Diploma endorsement - biliteracy - definitions.

(1)AS USED IN THIS SECTION, UNLESS THE CONTEXT OTHERWISE REQUIRES:

(a)"ADVANCED PLACEMENT TEST" MEANS THE FINAL TEST ADMINISTERED AT THE COMPLETION OF A COURSE THAT DELIVERS A

Capital letters indicate new material added to existing statutes; dashes through words indicate deletions from existing statutes and such material not part of act.

COLLEGE-LEVEL CURRICULUM IN A PARTICULAR WORLD LANGUAGE AND THAT MAY RESULT IN THE AWARDING OF COLLEGE CREDIT BASED ON THE SCORE ACHIEVED ON THE FINAL TEST.

(b)"INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE" MEANS A PROGRAM OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION OFFERED THROUGH A LOCAL EDUCATION PROVIDER BY A NONPROFIT EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION.

(c)"WORLD LANGUAGE" MEANS A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH AND INCLUDES AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE.

(2)A LOCAL EDUCATION PROVIDER MAY GRANT A DIPLOMA ENDORSEMENT IN BILITERACY TO A GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT WHO ATTAINS PROFICIENCY OR HIGHER IN ONE OR MORE WORLD LANGUAGES IN ADDITION TO ATTAINING PROFICIENCY OR HIGHER IN ENGLISH. To OBTAIN AN ENDORSEMENT IN BILITERACY, A GRADUATING STUDENT MUST:

(a)DEMONSTRATE PROFICIENCY OR HIGHER IN ENGLISH BY:

(I)COMPLETING ALL OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS COURSE REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION FROM HIGH SCHOOL WITH AN OVERALL GRADE POINT AVERAGE OF AT LEAST 3.0 IN THE REQUIRED ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS COURSES; AND

(11)(A) ACHIEVING A SCORE THAT INDICATES PROFICIENCY OR HIGHER ON THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS PORTION OF THE CURRICULUM-BASED, ACHIEVEMENT COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAM ADMINISTERED TO ELEVENTH-GRADE STUDENTS PURSUANT TO SECTION 22-7-1006.3 (2); OR

(B)PASSING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS ADVANCED PLACEMENT TEST WITH A SCORE OF THREE OR HIGHER OR PASSING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS PORTION OF AN INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE TEST WITH A SCORE OF FOUR OR HIGHER; AND

(b)DEMONSTRATE PROFICIENCY OR HIGHER IN ONE OR MORE WORLD LANGUAGES BY:

(I)PASSING A WORLD LANGUAGE ADVANCED PLACEMENT TEST WITH A SCORE OF THREE OR HIGHER OR PASSING THE WORLD LANGUAGE PORTION

OF AN INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE TEST WITH A SCORE OF FOUR OR HIGHER;

(II)SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING A FOUR-YEAR HIGH SCHOOL COURSE OF STUDY IN THE WORLD LANGUAGE AND ATTAINING AN OVERALL GRADE POINT AVERAGE OF AT LEAST 3.0 IN THE COURSE OF STUDY; OR

(III)ACHIEVING A PASSING SCORE ON THE WORLD LANGUAGE PORTION OF A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED TEST THAT IS RELIED UPON BY INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

(3)(a) FOR EACH WORLD LANGUAGE FOR WHICH AN ADVANCED PLACEMENT TEST IS NOT AVAILABLE, THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION MAY IDENTIFY ONE OR MORE SUMMATIVE TESTS IN THE WORLD LANGUAGE THAT ARE COMPARABLE IN RIGOR TO AN ADVANCED PLACEMENT TEST. THE DEPARTMENT MAY INCLUDE IN THE LIST A SUMMATIVE TEST CREATED OR

IDENTIFIED BY A LOCAL EDUCATION PROVIDER.

(b)NOTWITHSTANDING ANY PROVISION OF SUBSECTION (2)(b)(I) OF THIS SECTION TO THE CONTRARY:

(I)A LOCAL EDUCATION PROVIDER MAY USE A TEST IDENTIFIED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IN PLACE OF AN ADVANCED PLACEMENT TEST FOR PURPOSES OF SUBSECTION (2)(b)(I) OF THIS SECTION;

(II)IF AN ADVANCED PLACEMENT TEST DOES NOT EXIST AND THE DEPARTMENT HAS NOT IDENTIFIED A COMPARABLE TEST FOR THE WORLD LANGUAGE A STUDENT STUDIES, THE LOCAL EDUCATION PROVIDER MAY CREATE A TEST TO ADMINISTER TO THE STUDENT IN PLACE OF AN ADVANCED PLACEMENT TEST FOR PURPOSES OF SUBSECTION (2)(b)(I) OF THIS SECTION OR MAY ALLOW A STUDENT TO SUBMIT A BODY OF EVIDENCE THAT DEMONSTRATES THE STUDENT'S KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD LANGUAGE. IF THE LOCAL EDUCATION PROVIDER CHOOSES TO CREATE A TEST, IT MUST CERTIFY TO THE DEPARTMENT THAT THE TEST ASSESSES SPEAKING, READING, AND WRITING IN THE WORLD LANGUAGE AT A LEVEL THAT IS COMPARABLE IN RIGOR TO AN ADVANCED PLACEMENT TEST IN A WORLD LANGUAGE OR COMPARABLE TO THE LEVEL OF A SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT ADMINISTERED AT THE COMPLETION OF A FOUR-YEAR HIGH SCHOOL COURSE OF STUDY IN THE WORLD LANGUAGE. THE STUDENT MUST PASS THE TEST AT THE PROFICIENT LEVEL OR HIGHER. IF THE LOCAL EDUCATION PROVIDER

ALLOWS A STUDENT TO SUBMIT A BODY OF EVIDENCE, IT MUST CERTIFY TO THE DEPARTMENT THAT THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED DEMONSTRATES THE STUDENT'S ABILITY TO SPEAK, UNDERSTAND, READ, AND WRITE THE WORLD LANGUAGE WITH A LEVEL OF RIGOR THAT IS COMPARABLE TO AN ADVANCED PLACEMENT TEST IN A WORLD LANGUAGE OR COMPARABLE TO THE LEVEL OF A SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT ADMINISTERED AT THE COMPLETION OF A FOUR-YEAR HIGH SCHOOL COURSE OF STUDY IN THE WORLD LANGUAGE.

(III)IF AN ADVANCED PLACE1VIENT TEST EXISTS OR THE DEPARTMENT HAS IDENTIFIED A COMPARABLE TEST FOR A WORLD LANGUAGE, AND THE LOCAL EDUCATION PROVIDER CREATES AND USES AN ALTERNATIVE TEST FOR THAT WORLD LANGUAGE, THE DEPARTMENT MUST APPROVE THE LOCAL EDUCATION PROVIDER'S TEST BEFORE THE LOCAL EDUCATION PROVIDER MAY USE THE TEST TO DETERMINE A STUDENT'S LEVEL OF PROFICIENCY IN THE WORLD LANGUAGE IN PLACE OF AN ADVANCED PLACEMENT TEST FOR PURPOSES OF SUBSECTION (2)(b)(I) OF THIS SECTION.

(4)EACH LOCAL EDUCATION PROVIDER THAT CREATES A TEST FOR A WORLD LANGUAGE OR ACCEPTS A BODY OF EVIDENCE TO DEMONSTRATE THE ABILITY TO SPEAK, UNDERSTAND, READ, AND WRITE A WORLD LANGUAGE SHALL PROVIDE A COPY OF THE TEST AND A DESCRIPTION OF THE BODY OF EVIDENCE TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL MAKE THE TESTS AND DESCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE TO LOCAL EDUCATION PROVIDERS UPON REQUEST.

SECTION 2. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August 9, 2017, if adjournment sine die is on May 10, 2017); except that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect unless

Colorado Seal of Biliteracy Updates

Dec-27-2017

Three local school districts are drafting a seal of biliteracy program. http://t.co/Z8pFCtAj4X
Dec-27-2017

Denver Public Schools, Adams 14 and Eagle County Schools presented the Seal of Biliteracy to their School Boards in the Spring of 2015. Support from all three School Boars was overwhelmingly positive, and these districts will be implementing the Seal of Biliteracy starting during the 2015-2016 school year. As Colorado is a state of local control (meaning each school district creates their own graduation requirements, etc.), these three districts are hoping that all other school districts in Colorado will follow suit to honor ALL students throughout the state who have demonstrated proficiency in two or more languages.
Dec-27-2017

Missouri is in the early stages of the Seal of Biliteracy.
Dec-27-2017

Background Information

Avant STAMP 4Se was developed especially to assess the language proficiency of elementary students.

Although STAMP 4Se is a real world proficiency assessment, it uses only questions (items) and content based around daily school and home life for students who are attending an elementary school in the U.S. To make the assessment appropriate for elementary students, and in order to make sure that we are not assessing their English reading ability, written directions are very limited and are always provided aurally so test takers can listen to them. All critical instructions are given in English for all languages tested. For three languages that have a large number of test-takers who are heritage learners: Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese, other instructions and tasks for speaking and writing in the target language are given in both English and the target language. All other languages receive the other instructions and tasks in English.

The STAMP 4Se project was initially developed through a Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grant to the state of Wyoming, which assembled a consortium with five states (South Carolina, New Jersey, Georgia, Kentucky, and Virginia). The Center for Applied Second Language Studies at the University of Oregon (CASLS) and the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) in Washington, D.C., developed content for the assessments and piloted the tests in collaboration with elementary schools in the cooperating states.

As the exclusive licensee of STAMP 4Se, Avant takes its responsibility to the original design of the test very seriously. As a result, Avant has been very cautious in recommending the ways in which the test should be used. The original technical report prepared by the CASLS stated that the test was appropriate for students in grades 3 through 6. Avant STAMP 4Se Technical Document

A Need Identified

Many of our immersion school partners have stressed to us for several years the critical importance of obtaining data on the proficiency levels of grade 2 students. Grade 2 is when immersion students who are struggling often fall behind significantly and begin to separate from students who are more successful. Identified at the grade 2 stage, it is still possible to give focused instruction to students who are struggling and pull them up. Without identification at this stage it can be too late for the students, causing damage to the individual students and the program, which finds itself losing student numbers, due to some students' inability to progress with their cohort. For these and other reasons, many schools have asked us if we would recommend administering STAMP 4Se to grade 2 students.

Here is why Avant is now pleased to recommend STAMP 4Se for use in grade 2 through 6.

New Recommendation

In the past four years of administering Avant STAMP 4Se, we have gathered substantial data from immersion programs around the country that have chosen to administer STAMP 4Se to grade 2 students. The data demonstrate that grade 2 students can be successful test-takers, particularly in the listening and speaking sections, and that the test does in fact provide meaningful data on students proficiency levels and growth. These sites have found that grade 2 is a great place to begin formal testing and to establish the baseline data they need to inform progress decisions and direct interventions if necessary.

One of the factors that made Avant hesitant to recommend the test in the past for grade 2 students was the difficulty for these young students to type - particularly in the character-based languages such as Chinese and Japanese. Avant has developed technology that it is launching for STAMP 4Se this year after beta testing, that allows students to hand write responses in these languages and have teachers upload them to Avant servers for our raters to score them.

Conclusion

We are very happy to be able to recommend that Avant STAMP 4Se be administered to students from grade 2 though 6 in all nine of our languages in programs that are seeking appropriate proficiency assessments for young learners. As always, we welcome input from your experience in administering STAMP 4Se and look forward to discussing these options and how this assessment can benefit your programs.

For more information click Avant STAMP 4Se.

Recent State Updates

- South Dakota
- Jan-30-2024
- The South Dakota Department of Education is offering a Silver and Gold Seal of Biliteracy. The requirements for obtaining the seals can be found in the SD Seal of Biliteracy Implementation Guide below. Students who qualify will receive a physical seal that can be affixed to their high school diplomas as well as an identifier on the student's transcript. Participation in this program is voluntary for school districts.
- North Dakota
- Feb-19-2019
- The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) is proud to announce the implementation of the North Dakota Seal of Biliteracy (NDSB) award program. The NDSB is an award presented to graduating students who have demonstrated proficiency in a language in addition to English.
  
  North Dakota joins more than half of the nation in awarding a Seal of Biliteracy. The NDSB is established to recognize students and provide an identifier of this accomplishment for employers and post-secondary institutions. The NDSB serves to inspire the implementation of biliteracy programs and pathways of language development in districts across the state and help districts demonstrate value in diversity/culture.
  
  The NDSB is awarded by the NDDPI according to the specific criteria presented in the attached guidance document. Each student will receive a physical foil seal on their high school diploma, a certificate from the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and an identifier on the student's eTranscript. School district participation in the program is completely voluntary.
  
  Please review the attached documents and determine how this program could be implemented in the district. Additional information is available on the NDDPI website.
- Iowa
- Apr-18-2018
- Palm Beach School District has just approved the Seal of Biliteracy. Miami Dade School District approved it last week.
  - Dr. Andrés Ramírez
  Assistant Professor
  Curriculum, Culture and Educational Inquiry
  Florida Atlantic University
- Iowa
- Apr-18-2018
- New Jersey Governor Chris Christie approved a statewide Seal of Biliteracy. The legislation passed earlier this month by the New Jersey Senate (37-0) and New Jersey Assembly (72-2).
- Iowa
- Apr-18-2018
- Does anyone have any tools or strategies to assess less common languages? I wonder if there are easily-understood checklists that volunteers can use to assess student work?