On May 3, 2016, HB 879 was signed into law in Georgia. This officially established the Seal of Biliteracy for the state of Georgia. The Seal of Biliteracy is awarded to 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. It is a signal to employers and higher education institutions that a student is bilingual and biliterate.
The purposes of the Georgia Seal of Biliteracy are as follows:
• To encourage pupils to study foreign languages;
• To certify attainment of biliteracy;
• To provide employers with a method to identify people with language and biliteracy skills;
• To provide universities with a method to recognize and give academic credit to applicants seeking admission; and
• To recognize and promote foreign language instruction in public schools.
Requirements
In order to qualify for a Seal of Biliteracy, a high school graduate must meet the following criteria:
1) Completion of all English language arts requirements for graduation with an
overall grade point average of 3.0 or above in those classes; and
2) Proficiency in one or more languages other than English, demonstrated by
passing a foreign language advanced placement examination with a score of 4 or
higher or an international baccalaureate examination with a score of 5 or higher;
provided, however, that for languages in which an advanced placement
examination is not available, the Department of Education may provide a listing
of equivalent summative examinations that local school systems may use in
place of such an advanced placement examination.
Timeline
April 15th: Obtain list from all high schools of all graduating seniors who are potential
candidates
May 1: Submit report sheet to GaDoE of all graduating seniors who are potential
candidates
September 1st: Submit report sheet to GaDoE of additional candidates with summer
results from AP and IB exams
Note: Office of ESOL and World Languages staff will work with all APS schools and to ensure that documentation is submitted, all eligible students are properly coded in IC, and diploma seals are distributed to schools. Please contact Dr. Margaret McKenzie, if you have any questions.
Click her for a one page APS Overview of this information: Download Seal of Biliteracy Overview