State Seal of
Biliteracy at a Glance
What is Biliteracy?
Biliteracy is the ability to speak, read and
write in two languages at a proficient level.
What is the State Seal of Biliteracy?
The State Seal of Biliteracy is a recognition
given to high school seniors who have
studied and can exhibit the ability to
communicate in two or more languages
(including English) by the spring of their
senior year of high school. The State Seal of
Biliteracy (SSB) was unanimously approved
by the Illinois General Assembly in July 2013
with the creation of Public Act 098-0560. It
will begin to be awarded in Illinois in the
2014-15 school year. Adoption by school
districts around the state is optional.
Chicago Public Schools
Program Data and Statistics
As of 2014, there are approximately 68,700 ELs within CPS.
There are programs for ELs in 545 schools: 405 Elementary and
140 High Schools.
TBE programs within CPS serve 14 language groups, including
Arabic, Assyrian, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Gujarati, Mandarin,
Nepali, Pilipino (Tagalog), Polish, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian,
Urdu, and Vietnamese.
The SSB Field Test includes 19 high schools
that represent all CPS Networks and three
charter schools. The SSB Field Test will
allow CPS to gather both quantitative and
qualitative information to be better
prepared to implement the SSB district wide.
State Seal of Biliteracy
F i e l d Te s t
TPI programs within CPS serve 116 language groups.
As of 2014, there are approximately 108,000 students studying
a world language at CPS.
There are world language programs in 351 schools: 128
Elementary and 223 High Schools.
Preparing Future Global Citizens
World language studies are offered in Arabic, Chinese, French,
German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Polish, Russian,
Spanish, Urdu, and American Sign Language.
Useful Resources
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages:
www.actful.org
Center for Applied Linguistics: www.cal.org
Ethnologue: Languages of the World: www.ethnologue.com
Foreign Language Assessment Directory (FLAD): Free,
searchable database with information on more than 200
assessments in over 90 languages other than English:
www.cal.org/CALWebDB/FLAD
International Children’s Digital Library: en.childrenslibrary.org
National Network for Early Language Learning: nnell.org
What is the State Seal of Biliteracy
Field Test?

WIDA Consortium: www.wida.us
cps.edu/Pages/
SealofBiliteracy.aspx
Chicago Public Schools
Karen Garibay-Mulattieri, Chief Officer of OLCE
42 W Madison Street
2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: 773-553-1930
Fax: 773-553-1931
2014-15
Why the State Seal of Biliteracy?
Who Can Apply for the SSB?
In Illinois, the Seal of Biliteracy (SSB) has
many purposes:
 Encouraging the study of languages
 Highlighting the value of diversity
 Recognizing the value of foreign
language
and
native
language
instruction in public schools
 Preparing students with 21st century
skills
All interested juniors and seniors may
apply for the SSB if they have mastered
standard academic English and any other
language, including American Sign Language.
Students who are native-English speakers,
English Learners (ELs), and/or bilingual
speakers will be eligible for the State Seal of
Biliteracy, regardless of whether they have
taken coursework in a CPS school in their
target language or have mastered an
additional language through other means,
such as schooling in another country,
Saturday programs, etc.
Why Implement the SSB Initiative?
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) considers the
SSB to be consistent with current District
priorities and believes it aligns with the CPS
vision of promoting multilingualism,
biliteracy, and intercultural flexibility as key
contributors to students’ success in college,
career, and life.
What Are the Benefits of the SSB
for Students?
Recognition of biliteracy:
 Helps maintain competitiveness in
college applications
 Increases
marketability
in
the
workplace
 Adds to the value of your academic
success
Cantonese
1%
Urdu
1%
Polish
2%
CPS will award the State Seal of Biliteracy
to graduating seniors who apply for the
State Seal of Biliteracy and who
demonstrate proficiency in English and a
secondary language based on the test
scores listed below*:

English: An ACT score of 18 or higher
in English and 22 or higher in Reading;
for ELs, and ACCESS Composite Score
of 5.0 with a 4.2 or higher in Reading
and Writing

Secondary Language: A test score of
Intermediate High or higher on a
designated language proficiency test
ELs by Language
*Students testing for American Sign Language
and students with disabilities will be given an
opportunity to qualify for the State Seal of
Biliteracy through an alternative process
in future years.
Other
9%
Arabic
2%
How Do I Qualify for the State
Seal of Biliteracy?
Spanish
85%
American Sign
Language
0.5%
Spanish
70.4%
Arabic
2.9%
World Languages
in CPS
Chinese
9.7%
Polish
0.2%
Latin
0.9%
Korean
0.2%
Japanese
1.1%
Italian
0.8%
German
0.9%
French
12.5%
Want to Apply for
the State Seal of
Biliteracy?
The online application
will
be
available
at bit.ly/SSBApplication
through April 30, 2015.
All final test scores must
be reported to CPS by
May 15, 2015 to be
considered
for
the
award
for
seniors
graduating in June 2015.