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Good News – Credits for Seal of Biliteracy

Beginning Fall 2024, UMass Amherst will award 12 credits for the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy and 15 credits for the Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction.

More Info here – https://www.umass.edu/registrar/students/transfer-information/massachusetts-state-seal-biliteracy

Seal of Biliteracy in Massachusetts

Want to Join the Seal Movement?  Steps to Follow:

  • Read the  DESE Seal of Biliteracy Guidance Document which describes the parameters and administration of the Seal of Biliteracy (requiring Intermediate High in the partner language) and the Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction (requiring Advanced Low in the partner language).
  • The Language Opportunity Coalition (LOC) is a collaboration between MaFLA, MABENE and MATSOL.  The LOC is still supporting the Seal process!  Check out the NEW LOC MA Seal Website.
  • Read the NEW LOC Guidance Document.
  • Join the LOC Google Group, which is a continued collaboration of now more than 200 members representing districts across the state in the variety of levels, languages and program types exemplified in the Pilot to receive updates, participate in our quarterly meetings and be able to ask questions.
  • Read the FAQs on how to implement both the DESE and the LOC Seal awards in your district to foster lifelong learning over the course of your program!
  • Read the Seal Updates in the MaFLA Newsletters going back more than five years!
  • Use this summary MA Seal of Biliteracy Seal Flier

Contact Nicole Sherf with any questions!

 

The SEAL is Officially here!

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

75 Pleasant Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148-4906               Telephone: (781) 338-3000

TTY: N.E.T. Relay 1-800-439-2370

MEMORANDUM

To:

Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, Program Directors, and Guidance Directors.

From:

Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Date:  

January 24, 2019    

Subject:

MA State Seal of Biliteracy

Dear District Leader.

On November 22, 2017, Governor Baker signed into law “An Act Relative to Language Opportunity for Our Kids,” Chapter 138 of the Acts of 2017, commonly referred to as the LOOK Act. The State Seal of Biliteracy is a key element of the LOOK Act. On June 26, 2018, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted regulations that describe the criteria that school districts must use to award the State Seal of Biliteracy.

The State Seal of Biliteracy program begins with the graduating class of 2019.

Participation in the State Seal of Biliteracy Program is voluntary for districts. Districts that wish to participate in the program should identify a primary and secondary contact for communication with the Department about the district’s participation. The identified contacts should:

  • Read the State Seal of Biliteracy Guidance, which you can find here.
  • Notify the Department of the district’s intent to participate in the State Seal of Biliteracy program by sending an email to MAStateSealofBiliteracy@doe.mass.edu;  
  • Follow the email reply’s prompts to the Department’s Web-Based Monitoring System (WBMS) web page to access the approved insignia, and to record the names and contact information for the district’s primary and secondary State Seal of Biliteracy contacts. You can find detailed instructions for how to do so here.

WBMS is an application accessible through the Department’s Security Portal that allows districts and the Department to submit, review, and exchange documents and information. Contact your district’s Data Collection Directory Administrator with any questions about accessing the Security Portal.   

The Department will offer a webinar that will cover key information on implementing the State Seal of Biliteracy on February 5, 2019. You can register for the webinar here.

Please send questions related to the State Seal of Biliteracy to MAStateSealofBiliteracy@doe.mass.edu

We look forward to working with you.

Seal Update:  MA Has Gone Blue!

On November 22, 2017, Governor Baker signed a comprehensive legislation called Language Opportunity for our Kids (LOOK) which opens up the restrictive one-size-fits-all SEI mandate for districts and includes a Seal provision to reward students for functional biliteracy through the Seal.  This is a monumental piece of legislation for the foreign language, dual language and English language learner (ELL) teacher groups who sponsored it.

READ MORE

LOOK_Law_Summary

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