Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 52, December 27, 2024
In accordance with Section 2-3.159 of the School Code, a school
district or nonpublic school may establish a program to recognize
public and nonpublic high school graduates who have attained a high level of
proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English, by
designating on a student's transcript and high school diploma the student's
receipt of the State Seal of Biliteracy, provided that all the conditions of
this Section are met.
a) World
Language Proficiency
A school district or nonpublic school may award the State Seal
to any high school graduate who attains a high level of proficiency,
sufficient for meaningful use in college and a career (Section 2-3.159
of the Code), in a language other than English, as evidenced by attainment of a
"intermediate high" composite score, or an "intermediate high" score in each of
the domains when no composite score is provided, or its equivalent, on a
standardized assessment that addresses the four domains of speaking, writing,
listening, and reading in the targeted world language. Proficiency may be shown
using one of the methods outlined in this subsection.
1) Assessment Method
A) For purposes of using an assessment to
determine proficiency:
i) "Intermediate high"
is defined in the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
Proficiency Guidelines 2012, published by ACTFL, 1001 North Fairfax Street,
Suite 200, Alexandria VA 22314 and available at
https://www.actfl.org/educator-resources/actfl-proficiency-guidelines.
(No later amendments to or editions of these guidelines are incorporated.)
Measurement may assess tasks across the three modes of communication as defined
by the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages available at
https://www.isbe.net/Documents/World-Languages-Standards.pdf.
ii) For students learning American Sign
Language as a heritage or first language, "intermediate high" is equivalent to
meeting progress indicators for grade 12 set forth in the Standards for
Learning American Sign Language (2014), published by the American Sign Language
Teachers Association, P.O. Box 38, Clinton WA 98236 and available at
https://aslta.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/National_ASL_Standards.pdf.
(No later amendments to or editions of these guidelines are
incorporated.)
iii) For students
learning American Sign Language as a world language, "intermediate high" is
defined in the Communication Proficiency Performance Indicators in the Fourth
Edition World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages published by the
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 1001 North Fairfax
Street, Suite 200, Alexandria VA 22314 and available at
https://www.isbe.net/Documents/World-Languages-Standards.pdf.
(No later amendments to or editions of these guidelines are
incorporated).
iv) "Standardized
assessment" is one that is available for use on a statewide or national basis
and meets generally accepted standards of fairness, validity, and reliability
as stated in "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" (2013),
published by the American Educational Research Association, 1430 K Street,
N.W., Suite 1200, Washington DC 20005. (No later amendments to or editions of
these standards are incorporated.)
v) For students pursuing a State Seal in
American Sign Language or Latin, the standardized assessment must consist of
the language domains that appropriately characterize communication in that
language.
2)
The State Superintendent shall post on the State Board of Education's website,
by July 1 of each year, a list of acceptable language assessments and the score
to be achieved on each assessment that qualifies the student as meeting the
criteria set forth in subsection (a)(1)(A)(i), (ii), (iii), or (v), as
applicable. A school district or nonpublic school that chooses to use an
assessment to measure world language proficiency that is not included on the
list shall maintain evidence that the assessment meets the criteria specified
in subsection (a)(1)(A)(iv) and either subsection (a)(1)(A)(i), (ii), (iii), or
(v), as applicable, and make that evidence available to the State
Superintendent upon request.
3)
Alternative Evidence Method
A school district or nonpublic school may choose to award the
State Seal through an alternative evidence method in accordance with this
subsection (a)(3).
A) The alternative
evidence method may be used when:
i) a student
attains an "intermediate mid" composite score, as defined in the ACTFL
guidelines set forth in subsection (a)(1), or its equivalent, on a standardized
assessment that addresses the four domains in the targeted world
language;
ii) no standardized
assessment exists for the targeted world language;
iii) evaluating the language proficiency of a
student with disabilities for whom the standardized assessment is
inappropriate;
iv) the standardized
assessment for the targeted world language does not assess one or more of the
four domains; or
v) the targeted
world language has fewer domains than the four domains.
B) Any alternative evidence method used shall
consist of a student portfolio that contains evidence for each component set
forth in subsections (a)(3)(C) and (D) that demonstrates proficiency equivalent
to an "intermediate high" level in the four domains. A student completing a
portfolio of evidence demonstrating proficiency in Sanskrit must demonstrate
proficiency in the reading and writing domains and must be exempt from the
speaking and listening domains.
C)
Experience in the Targeted World Language
i)
the extent to which the student's language background enables the student to
gain proficiency in the targeted world language in one or more of the four
domains;
ii) the extent to which
the student's participation in intercultural activities provided opportunities
to gain proficiency in the targeted world language in one or more of the four
domains;
iii) the courses taken in
the targeted world language and the grades received; or
iv) the extent to which any time spent in
countries where the targeted world language is spoken contributed to the
student's opportunities to gain proficiency in the targeted world language in
one or more of the four domains.
D) Work Samples
i) formal presentations in the targeted world
language;
ii) student-produced
compositions, articles, papers, and other formal documents in the targeted
world language; or
iii)
certificates, diplomas, results from tests or assessments other than those
identified under subsection (a), and additional achievements that demonstrate
sufficient proficiency in the targeted world language.
b) English Proficiency
1) To be eligible to be awarded the State
Seal, each student must also demonstrate proficiency in English through:
A) attainment of college and career
benchmarks for English language arts on the State assessments administered at
the secondary level, as authorized in Section 2-3.64a-5 of the Code, or any
other nationally normed assessment of English language arts;
B) attainment of a "proficient" score on the
English language proficiency assessment, as defined under 23 Ill. Adm. Code
228.10, administered at the
secondary level;
C) attainment of
an "intermediate high" composite score on an assessment in English identified
under subsection (a)(1);
D)
attainment of a "qualifying" score on an Advanced Placement English Language
and Composition Exam; or
E)
transitional or dual credit coursework in English language arts, completed with
a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point
average on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent,
articulated in partnership with a public community college as an Every Student
Succeeds Act College and Career Readiness Indicator. (See Section 2-3.159(e-5)
of the Code.)
2) The
State Superintendent shall post on the State Board of Education's website, by
July 1 of each year, a list of acceptable English language assessments and the
score to be achieved on each assessment that qualifies the student as meeting
one of the sets of criteria for proficiency set forth in this subsection (b). A
school district or nonpublic school that chooses to use an assessment to
measure English language proficiency that is not included on the list shall
maintain evidence that the assessment meets the criteria specified in
subsection (a)(1)(A)(iv) and one of the sets of criteria for proficiency set
forth in subsection (b)(1) and must make that evidence available to the State
Superintendent upon request.
c) The State Seal Program may offer a State
Commendation to any student who fails to meet the requirements of subsection
(a) but attains a score of "intermediate low", or its equivalent, in the
targeted world language using the method set forth in subsection (a)(1) or
(a)(3).
1) "Intermediate low" is defined in
the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012 referenced in subsection
(a)(1).
2) Each student must also
demonstrate a level of proficiency in English through:
A) attainment of college and career
benchmarks for English language arts on the State assessments administered at
the secondary level, as authorized in Section 2-3.64a-5 of the Code, or any
other nationally normed assessment of English language arts;
B) attainment of a score established for
part-time placement in a transitional bilingual education program (23 Ill. Adm.
Code 228.30(c)) on
the English language proficiency assessment, as defined under 23 Ill. Adm. Code
228.10, that is administered at the secondary level;
C) attainment of an "intermediate low"
composite score on an assessment in English identified under subsection
(b);
D) attainment of a
"qualifying" score on an Advanced Placement English Language and Composition
Exam; or
E) transitional or dual
credit coursework in English language arts, completed with a minimum of a
3.0 cumulative grade point
average on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent,
articulated in partnership with a public community college as an Every Student
Succeeds Act College and Career Readiness Indicator. (See Section 2-3.159(e-5)
of the Code.)
3) The
State Superintendent shall post on the State Board of Education's website, by
July 1 of each year, a list of acceptable assessments and the score to be
achieved on each assessment that qualifies the student as meeting the criteria
set forth in this subsection (c) for world language and English language
proficiency. A school district or nonpublic school that chooses to use an
assessment that is not included on the list shall maintain evidence that the
assessment meets the criteria specified in subsection (a)(1)(A)(iv) and the
applicable criteria set forth in this subsection (c) and make that evidence
available to the State Superintendent upon request.
d) In accordance with Section 2-3.159(g) of
the Code, the school district or nonpublic school shall place a designation of
a qualifying student's receipt of the State Seal in the student's permanent
record on the academic transcript, as defined in 23 Ill. Adm. Code 375, and
include the designation on the student's diploma. A school district or
nonpublic school must also place a designation of a qualifying student's
receipt of the State Commendation both in the permanent record on the academic
transcript and on the student's diploma. The designations shall list each of
the targeted world languages for which the Seal or Commendation is being
awarded. The State Board of Education shall make an electronic facsimile of the
Seal and the Commendation available to school districts and nonpublic schools
for this purpose.
e) A school
district or nonpublic school that chooses to participate in the Program shall
meet the requirements of this subsection (e).
1) A participating school district or
nonpublic school shall notify the State Board of its participation by October 1
of each year. A district or nonpublic school that elects to participate after
October 1 shall notify the State Board of its participation no later than 45
calendar days before the issuance of any Seals or Commendations.
A) A school district or nonpublic school
electing to participate after October 1 shall include in its notification to
the State Board evidence that the district or nonpublic school has met all of
the requirements of this subsection (e).
B) A district or nonpublic school that fails
to submit the proper notification within the timeframes provided shall be
prohibited from awarding the Seal and Commendation for that school
year.
2) A participating
district shall designate at least one individual to serve as a coordinator of
the Program and include the individual's name and contact information in the
notice required by subsection (e)(1). The individual assigned to serve as the
coordinator of the program under this subsection (e)(2) shall:
A) hold a Professional Educator License
endorsed in an administrative area issued pursuant to 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25;
and
B) participate in training
approved by the State Board before awarding the Seal and the
Commendation.
3) A
participating nonpublic school shall designate at least one individual to serve
as coordinator of the Program and include the individual's name and contact
information in the notice required by subsection (e)(1). The individual
assigned to serve as the coordinator of the Program shall:
A) be an active administrator at the
nonpublic school awarding the Seal; and
B) participate in the training approved by
the State Board before awarding the Seal and the Commendation.
4) Using a format prescribed by
the State Superintendent, a participating school district or nonpublic school
shall submit an annual report to the State Board no later than September 15 of
each year that includes, but is not limited to, identification of each student
awarded the Seal or Commendation, targeted world language or languages for
which Seal or Commendation was awarded to the student, and the method the
student used to demonstrate proficiency.
5) A participating school district or
nonpublic school shall make available information about the Program to parents
and students by posting on the district's or nonpublic school's website, if the
district or nonpublic school maintains a website, and in the student handbook
the following information:
A) general
information about the Program and the opportunity for students to
participate;
B) a description of
the process a student would use to demonstrate proficiency in the targeted
world language, including details about any alternative evidence that may be
required by subsection (a)(3), if applicable;
C) an estimate of the costs, if known, that
students might incur to demonstrate proficiency using the methods under
subsection (a); and
D) the name and
contact information for any individuals designated to serve as the coordinator
of the Program.