The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) is announcing that more than 2,388 students countywide earned the State Seal of Biliteracy for the 2020–21 school year. The seal is awarded to seniors who have demonstrated English competency, plus competency in another language, by meeting specific criteria.
To earn this distinction, students must meet the English language arts standards of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), plus receive good grades in all English classes required for high school graduation. In addition, students must take a four-year course of study in a world language or pass a test (such as the Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams).
During an online ceremony yesterday evening, Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools David W. Gordon told the students, “Being proficient in more than one language will provide you with skills to help you succeed in a global economy, build self-confidence, and help develop a stronger sense of community. Through your mastery of multiple languages, you are developing a different vision of our world that speaking other languages will enhance.”
UC Davis Professor Orlando Carreón, Ph.D., was the keynote speaker. “We are living during a time when your skillset is needed more than ever,” he told students. “The gift of responsibility that you have been granted is indeed a gift only if you use it to serve. The gift of love that educated you needs to be passed forward so that even seven generations from now the gift of bilingualism, respect, and love is thriving in our communities.”
In addition to English, this year’s Sacramento County Seal of Biliteracy recipients are proficient in 24 other languages: American Sign Language, Arabic, Armenian, Cantonese, Dari, Farsi, French, German, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Mandarin, Pashto, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese. More than 50 students earned seals in multiple languages.
SCOE collaborated with the following Sacramento County school districts and independent charter schools on this year’s Seal of Biliteracy program: Center Joint USD, Elk Grove USD, Folsom Cordova USD, Futures High School Charter, Galt Joint Union HSD, Natomas USD, Natomas Charter School, Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep Charter, River Delta USD, Sacramento City USD, San Juan USD, Twin Rivers USD, and Visions in Education Charter.
SCOE has recognized Seal of Biliteracy recipients annually since 2012.