By Saktisri Gowrishankar, Staff Reporter
Starting in the 2025-26 school year, Conestoga will allow students who demonstrate proficiency in two or more languages to obtain the Pennsylvania Seal of Biliteracy upon graduation. All 50 states offer the Seal of Biliteracy, and Pennsylvania was the 46th to adopt it in 2022. In the 2023-24 school year, 61 high schools across the state offered the seal.
“We already know (world language) is a strength for our students at Conestoga. The world languages department is outstanding. Students are taking all the way through level six, taking (Advanced Placement classes),” TESD curriculum supervisor Dr. Patrick Gately said. “It’s time to recognize the strength of that program and the strength of our students with this award.”
Gately worked closely with the world languages department and school administration to discuss the implementation of the biliteracy program. They looked at how other schools handled the program and ensured Conestoga offered the necessary proficiency exams.
World language department chair Patrick Cupo served as a liaison between Gately and the rest of the world language teachers at Conestoga. The overall goal of the seal is to encourage bilingualism and cultural awareness, as well as give students an opportunity to show competency for colleges and future employers.
“I think students here sometimes feel like they can only use the (world) language in the classroom, and so I’m hoping that we can garner some support in our community to be able to speak language outside of it,” Cupo said.
At Curriculum Night on Jan. 30, Cupo introduced the opportunity to parents and students and released a page on the TESD website containing further information. Students will be able to submit an application anytime during their high school career to obtain the seal as long as they meet the requirements. These prerequisites include written, oral and auditory proficiency in at least two languages, one of which must be English. Students must have at least an 80% in English and world language classes from grades 9-12.
For English, students have to pass the Keystone exam, get at least a 3 on the AP English Literature and Composition exam or pass similar tests. For world language, there are various ways to meet the standards, such as earning a 4 or 5 on an AP World Language and Culture exam and at least an intermediate-high on the STAMP Language Proficiency Test.
Native speakers must provide transcripts of at least three years of world language instruction with an 80% or higher to show proficiency. Languages that are not formally taught at Conestoga, like American Sign Language (ASL), can be tested through literacy exams including the STAMP and the ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages.
Junior Danielle Douglas, a member of ASL Club and student in Spanish 4, hopes to apply for the Seal of Biliteracy in the future.
“I think learning other languages allows you to communicate with a lot more people,” Douglas said. “Even though a lot of other countries learn English, it’s not always their first (language), and it’s better to communicate with people with their first language, if possible.”
Saktisri Gowrishankar can be reached at [email protected].
