De La Salle Institute is proud to join the Illinois Seal of Biliteracy Program. By doing this, we are able to recognize our students’ achievements and proficiency in English and Spanish or French. Interested students must demonstrate proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. There are two options for this program: the Seal of Biliteracy and the State Commendation toward Biliteracy, and these are awarded at the end of a student’s senior year. A seal is placed on the student’s diploma and is noted on his or her high school transcript.
Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy
In order to earn the Seal of Biliteracy, students must meet one of the criteria for English:
- a minimum of a 21 for the ACT composite,
- an 18 on the English portion of the ACT,
- at least a 480 on the SAT English/Language section,
- a final GPA of a 3.0 in a PACC English course
In addition to the English criteria, a student must also meet one of the criteria for Spanish or French:
- a 4 or 5 on the College Board AP Spanish or AP French Exam
- an I-5 on form B of the AAPPL – ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages Exam.
The Commendation toward Biliteracy can be awarded to students who do not quite meet all of the requirements of the Seal of Biliteracy. Students must meet one of the criteria for English as listed above (the only difference being a final GPA of a 2.5 in a PACC English course) and one of the criteria for Spanish or French (a 3 on the College Board AP Spanish or AP French Exam or an I-1 on form B of the AAPPL – ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages Exam).
Illinois public colleges and universities award language credit for students who earn the seal of biliteracy (some private colleges and universities may also award credit). We hope this program encourages students to continue to study languages so that they will be able to communicate with others nationally and internationally.
