On Monday, May 20, the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) officially recognized students for their linguistic accomplishments of attaining a high level of proficiency in English and another language. Serving as keynote speaker at a ceremony honoring recipients of the award from Sacramento County was KXTV News 10 reporter Bianca Graulau.
Countywide, more than 800 students received the State Seal of Biliteracy award, which was established by California Assembly Bill 815. It is awarded to seniors who have demonstrated English competency, plus competency in another language, by meeting specific criteria.
Students must demonstrate English competency by scoring proficient on the California Standards Test in English language arts, excel in high school English classes, and meet all high school graduation requirements. In addition, students demonstrate competency in another language by taking four years of a world language or passing a language test such as the Advanced Placement exam.
In addition to English, this year's Seal of Biliteracy recipients in Sacramento County are proficient in 14 other languages, including: Arabic, Armenian, Farsi, French, German, Hindi, Hmong, Mandarin, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. Several students earned Seals in multiple languages.
The following Sacramento County school districts collaborated in this year's Seal of Biliteracy program: Center Joint USD, Folsom Cordova USD, Galt Joint Union High SD, River Delta USD, Natomas USD, Sacramento City USD, San Juan USD, Visions in Education Charter School, and Twin Rivers USD.