Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy

Seal of Biliteracy Status
Approved State Seal
Adoption Date
2017-11-22
Website(s)
State Contact(s)

Massachusetts State Info:

There are two bills filed in the Massachusetts legislature that would establish a state Seal of Biliteracy:

An Act to Establish a State Seal of Biliteracy H22 The Seal of Biliteracy recognizes graduates who speak, read and write proficiently in another language in addition to English with a seal on their high school diploma. Passage of this bill promises to encourage language learning and teaching, and will provide evidence to universities and businesses that our students have attained these important 21st century skills. https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/House/H422

An Act relative to Language Opportunity for Our Kids (LOOK) H.498 The LOOK bill stresses the importance of language development for all students in the Commonwealth to prepare them to be competitive in the global economy. This bill give school districts the flexibility to choose high-quality, research-based programs that meet the needs of English Language Learners (ELLs). It also encourage programs that help all students — both ELLs and English speakers — to build their language skills, a valuable asset in the 21st century global economy. The bill includes the (identical) text as the Seal of Biliteracy bill, giving us two opportunities to seek the Seal’s passage. https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/House/H498

Both bills were also filed in the State Senate, but we are awaiting assignment of bill numbers.

The bills are supported by the Massachusetts Language Opportunity Coalition, a newly formed coalition to support language education and academic achievement for all students in Massachusetts. -- See www.LanguageOpportunity.org