The New York State Seal of Biliteracy (NYSSB) was established to recognize high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in one or more languages, in addition to English.  (nysed.gov)

Considerations for NYS schools and language programs:

• Less than ⅓ of NYS schools had a Seal of Biliteracy program as of the 2020-21 school year, although programs are increasing and Seal recipients are on the rise.
• Achieving the Seal of Biliteracy is highly valuable for students, but it is also beneficial for our World Language programs, as it offers real-world relevance for all involved.
• The NYSSB should be attainable for both ELL and WL students.
• The Seal should be accessible to all students who get to their senior year and can reach an intermediate-high proficiency level; it is not a program reserved for a select few.
• NYSAFLT is offering a workshop at this fall’s Annual Conference (Advocating for Our Students: Establishing the Seal of Biliteracy) and hopes to continue providing professional development on this important topic.

Resources to further your understanding:

• NYSSB Guidance Toolkit with modules to guide in establishing a Seal program
• NYSSB Handbook
• NYSSB Report Infographic
• NYSSB Annual Reports
• Article on New York State’s first Native American language Seal (Tuscarora): OBEWL Newsletter – January 2021

Student videos

(kindly provided by Maria Fenton):

Student Reflection Video
https://www.wevideo.com/view/1754446222
from Ithaca HS, TST Consortium

Student Presentation Videos – examples of presentations evaluated remotely…
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1f_xz8J_NwprIyMxfbGwn-VdZsQOvEvIP
from Liverpool HS, OCM BOCES Consortium