OBTAINING RECOGNITION FOR HERITAGE LANGUAGE ABILITY
THROUGH
CREDIT BY PROFICIENCY AND THE SEAL OF BILITERACY
Shuhan C. Wang, Ph. D.
President, ELE Consulting International
Project Director, CELIN at Asia Society
Community-Based Heritage Language Conference
American University
Washington, D.C.
September 19, 2015
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OVERVIEW
Œ  What is Credit by Proficiency/Examination and how to
earn it?
  What is the Seal of Biliteracy and how to get a seal?
Ž  What are the implications for heritage language schools
and students？
  What are the contacts and resources related to these
initiatives?
  Q & A
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What is Credit by Proficiency/Examination? •  Awarding of middle school, high school, and/or college
credit, including credit toward a high school diploma
requirement
•  Usually based on proficiency level determined by a state-
approved or nationally known external language
assessment
•  Provisions of assessment, evidence, and credit earned
are local or state decisions, which vary from one place to
another
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How are Credits Earned? Examples From States…
State
Provision
CA
State Seal of Biliteracy
DE
Credit by demonstrated proficiency
GA
Local decision
IN
Definition of credit
MN
Proficiency certificates, bilingual and multilingual seals,
college credit, and elective credit
NC
Demonstration of proficiency; Credit by demonstrated mastery
OH
Credit flexibility
UT
Demonstrated competency
WA
Competency-based credits
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16 States Award Students
World Language Credit by Proficiency
Colorado
Kansas
Minnesota
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Wisconsin
Georgia
Louisiana
North Carolina
New York
Virginia
Hawaii
Maine
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Washington
NCSSFL State and Question Matrix Report, Question 8. Retrieved
September 14, 2015 at http://www.ncssfl.org/reports2/
state_question_matrix.php
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What is the Seal of Biliteracy?
•  Started in California: Learning World Languages and
Cultures in California: A Stimulus for Academic and
Economic Success (2009)
http://cwlp.stanford.edu/resource/Stanford_CFLP%20Handbook.pdf
•  State Seal of Biliteracy (SSB), per Assembly Bill 815
(Brownley, Chapter 618, Statutes of 2011), became
effective January 1, 2012 (http://sealofbiliteracy.org/california)
•  ACTFL, NCSSFL, NABE, and TESOL co-developed
formal guidelines for states and districts in 2015
http://www.actfl.org/news/press-releases/seal-biliteracy-guidelinesreleased#sthash.cvtl8LO6.dpuf
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Who Can Grant The Seal, and
What Does It Do for Students?
•  An award made by a state department of education or
local district to recognize a student who has attained
proficiency in English and one or more other world
languages by high school graduation
•  Recognition of attaining biliteracy becomes part of the
high school transcript and diploma for these students.
http://www.actfl.org/news/press-releases/seal-biliteracy-guidelinesreleased#sthash.cvtl8LO6.dpuf
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Acceptable Evidence of Proficiency
•  Advanced Placement (AP) Exam
•  International Baccalaureate (IB) Exam
•  Oral Proficiency Interview, Reading Proficiency Test, or Writing Proficiency
Test
•  Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency (STAMP4S)
•  ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages
(AAPPL)
•  Tribal language assessments
•  Signed Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI) for American Sign Language
•  ACTFL Latin Interpretive Reading Exam (ALIRA)
•  Other assessments correlated to the required minimum level of language
proficiency
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The Minimum Target Level Should be Intermediate
Mid on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines (2012)
The student should demonstrate proficiency in the modes
of communication appropriate for that language
•  Interpersonal communication involving conversational
speaking and listening or signed exchanges
•  Interpretive reading, listening, or viewing
•  Presentational communication shown by creating
messages for a reader, listener, or viewer through writing,
speaking, or signing
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ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, 2012
http://www.actfl.org/publications/guidelines-and-manuals/actfl-proficiency-guidelines-2012
The ity
t
Quan
of
age
langu es
as
Incre
The
Quality
of
languag
e
Increas
es
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How Long Does It Take to Build Proficiency in a Regular Language
Program? (ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners, 2012, 2015)
http://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/ACTFLPerformance-Descriptors.pdf, p. 13
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Credit by Proficiency and/or the Seal of Biliteracy:
Implications for Heritage Language Schools
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1. Collaborate with the Formal Education System ü  Learn more about these initiatives in your local area or
state; find out what provisions exist
ü  Make contact with the district or state World Language
Coordinator/Director/Consultant; e.g., ACTFL, NABE,
NADSFL, NCSSFL, or TESOL
ü  If your area already has Credit by Proficiency or the Seal
of Biliteracy, find out how to make it available for your
school and students
ü  If not, find out how to help districts or the state institute
this
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2. Become Educated About Language Proficiency
•  ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, 2012
http://www.actfl.org/publications/guidelines-and-manuals/
actfl-proficiency-guidelines-2012
•  ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners
(2012, 2015)
http://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/
ACTFLPerformance-Descriptors.pdf
•  NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements: Performance
Indicators for Language Learners (2014, 2015)
http://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/CanDo_Statements_2015.pdf
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3. Establish Clear Language Learning Outcomes
ü  A heritage language school should establish language
learning goals for its program and courses.
ü  Learning outcomes should aligned with the ACTFL
Proficiency Guidelines (2012) in order to be aligned with
the Credit or Seal requirements.
ü  Administrators and teachers need to receive more
training about proficiency-based language learning and
credit.
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4. Keep in Mind That Heritage Language
Schools’ Mission Is Beyond Language Learning!
•  It is also about intergenerational transmission of language
and culture.
•  It is also about helping children develop biliteracy/
multiliteracy AND healthy multiple identities in order to
position themselves as successful and productive citizens
of the world.
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5. Develop the Whole Child is the Goal
Capital/Asset
Heritage
Personal
&
Familial
Learning and Using Both
Languages in the Real
World
Cognitive
Biliteracy
Curiosity and
Exploration
Identities
Self Concepts
Values
Perspectives
Voices
Loving
Caring
Empathy
SocialEmotional
Physiological
Health and
Wellness
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Conclusion:
Tap into These Initiatives and
Develop Biliteracy as Capital
•  Linguistic expertise as human capital expands our
world.
•  Family heritage as cultural capital connects us with
the past and the future.
•  Tools of engagement as social capital enrichs our
lives.
Capital exists at All Levels, from Individuals to
Families to Society (Wang, 2007, 2004)
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References and Resources
•  American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL http://actfl.org)
•  California Seal of Biliteracy http://sealofbiliteracy.org/california
•  Chinese Early Language Learning and Immersion Network (CELIN
•
•
•
•
•
•
http://asiasociety.org/china-learning-initiatives/chinese-early-language-andimmersion-network)
National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE http://nabe.org)
National Association of District Supervisors of Foreign Languages (NADSFL
http://www.nadsfl.org)
National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL http://NCSSFL.org)
TESOL http://www.tesol.org
Wang, S. C. (2007). Building Societal Capital: Chinese in the United States. In J.
Lo Bianco (Ed.). Special issue of Language Policy, The Emergency of Chinese,
6(1), 27-52.
Wang, S. C. (2004). Biliteracy Resource Eco-System of Intergenerational
Transmission of Heritage Language and Culture: An Ethnographic Study of a
Chinese Community in the United States. Ph. D. Dissertation. University of
Pennsylvania.
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Questions or Comments?
Thank you!
Shuhan C. Wang, PhD
王周淑涵
shuhancw@gmail.com