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
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To: |
Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, Program Directors, and Guidance Directors. |
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From: |
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education |
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Date: |
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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.
