Several Kewanee High School Spanish students earn biliteracy seal

Staff report
·2 min read
The Commendation toward Biliteracy is awarded to students whose proficiency level is rated at Intermediate Low or Intermediate Mid in their second language. An asterisk denotes a Seal of Biliteracy Recipient. First row, from left: Niko Powe, Noah Tiska, Kendal Bennison*, Jennifer Pratt, Esmeralda Paredes*, Raul Cardoso, Osvaldo Morado and Jazmin Rodriguez. Second row: Gregory Wolf, Shayla Hufford, Madysen Gardner*, Xander Gruszeczka , Joseph Getz, Emily Eggimann and Jace Clayes*. Third row: Daniel Sanchez*, David Ocampo*, Mikah Israel, Malachi Israel, Madeline Gustaitis*, Maya Davis* and Regan Coombes*. Not pictured: Jose Chavez, Gabe Currier.

Twenty-four students at Kewanee High School have been recognized as Seal of Biliteracy and Commendation toward Biliteracy scholars.

The prestigious award is given annually by the Illinois State Board of Education to deserving students who demonstrate a high level of proficiency in Spanish and English. Forty-two states in the country have adopted the Seal of Biliteracy program to encourage students to develop a strong linguistic, cultural and communicative competence.

Literacy in two or more languages represents a challenging academic standard and enables students to participate more fully in a global arena. These skills provide a foundation for college and career readiness in an increasingly interdependent world.

Amy Miler, a Spanish teacher at KHS, stated: “I am incredibly proud of these students. Achieving this level of language proficiency requires a lot of participation, risk-taking, and practice outside of the classroom. The STAMP assessment is a rigorous three-hour test in which students have to listen to lengthy authentic audio pieces, read articles, write essays, and record speaking samples to random prompts. Earning this award gives the students concrete proof of the hard work and dedication they have put into the last four years of learning Spanish.”

An official seal will be placed on the diplomas and recognition on transcripts of those students who qualify. This designation provides universities and employers with a method of formally identifying people with language biliteracy skills. Two honors are available, the Seal of Biliteracy and the Commendation toward Biliteracy. The Seal of Biliteracy is awarded to students who earn a minimum score of 480 on the English portion of the SAT and a high proficiency level on the STAMP test using a scale set by the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages.

The Commendation toward Biliteracy is awarded to students whose proficiency level is rated at Intermediate Low or Intermediate Mid in their second language.

This article originally appeared on Star Courier: Several Kewanee High School Spanish students earn biliteracy seal