• 1. What is the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy?
• 2. What is proficiency?
• 3. What is the purpose of the Seal of Biliteracy?
• 4. How does the Seal of Biliteracy benefit students?
• 5. When should students be informed about the Seal of Biliteracy program?
• 6. Can an external Seal of Biliteracy substitute for an Ohio Seal of Biliteracy and can it count toward the requirement of earning two Ohio diploma seals to graduate?
• 7. Can a homeschooled student earn an Ohio Seal of Biliteracy and, if so, how?
• 8. Where can I find more information?

• 9. What English language requirement must a student meet to be eligible for a Seal of Biliteracy?
• 10. What world language requirement must a student meet to be eligible for a Seal of Biliteracy?
• 11. Can out-of-state transfer credit for ELA I and ELA II courses fulfill the Ohio State Tests option for students seeking to meet the English Proficiency Requirement of the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy?
• 12. What flexibility exists for students seeking an Ohio Seal of Biliteracy who were unable to complete the end-of-course examination in ELA I or ELA II during the 2019- 2020 school year due to the COVID-19 health crisis?
• 13. What flexibility exists for students seeking an Ohio Seal of Biliteracy who were unable to complete end-of-course examinations in ELA I or ELA II during the 2020- 2021 school year due to the COVID-19 health crisis?

• 14. What is the cost of earning a Seal of Biliteracy?
• 15. Who is responsible for determining if this program becomes an option in our school?
• 16. How is the Seal of Biliteracy presented to students?
• 17. May the Seal of Biliteracy be awarded to students who have already graduated or be awarded retroactively?
• 18. If our school is a public or community school, how do we report eligible recipients who have earned the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy?
• 19. Do participating schools and districts have to submit their Seal of Biliteracy qualifying scores from approved world language proficiency assessments to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce?
• 20. If our school is a private or independent school, how do we report eligible recipients who have earned the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy?

• 21. When is the world language testing window for students who seek an Ohio Seal of Biliteracy?
• 22. Why can’t a student’s world language proficiency be assessed for Ohio Seal of Biliteracy eligibility more than 15 months before graduation?
• 23. Can a student take the world language assessment more than once?
• 24. How do I know if a student “passed” a Department-approved world language assessment once my school receives the score report?
• 25. What test security protocols are districts and schools required to follow to ensure the validity of assessments that qualify students for the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy?
• 26. What funding is available to support the administration of world language assessments to students?
• 27. Can my school/district use federal Title III funding to pay for the proficiency testing of English Learners (ELs) in their native languages to meet the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy’s world language proficiency requirement?
• 28. Can my school/district use federal Title IV-A funding to pay for the world language proficiency testing of non-EL students who are trying to qualify for an Ohio Seal of Biliteracy?
• 29. What should a school do if there is no assessment listed for the world language in which a student is proficient?

The Ohio Seal of Biliteracy is an award conferred on graduating high school seniors who can demonstrate applicable high levels of proficiency in English and at least one other world language, which includes modern languages, classical languages, American Sign Language, Native American languages, and native languages.

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Proficiency is the ability of an individual to use culturally appropriate language to communicate spontaneously in non-rehearsed contexts with a high degree of competence. It also refers to the degree of skill with which a person can use the language to comprehend, speak, read, write, or sign in real-life situations.

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High school graduates who can communicate in English and at least one other world language are equipped with knowledge and skills that will help them participate successfully in college, careers, the military, and a diverse global society. The purpose is to:

• Encourage the study of languages;
• Certify the attainment of biliteracy;
• Give employers insights into the skills of graduates;
• Give universities an additional mechanism to identify strong candidates for admission and scholarship;
• Prepare students with valuable 21st-century skills;
• Recognize the value of foreign and native language instruction; and
• Strengthen intergroup relationships, affirm the value of diversity, and honor the multiple cultures and languages of a community. 

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Having a Seal of Biliteracy will help students demonstrate their language proficiency in a variety of professional contexts to employers and military recruiters. A Seal of Biliteracy will bolster a student’s academic credentials when applying to colleges. Additionally, certain Ohio universities have created a mechanism to award university credit and ensure appropriate course placement for further advanced language study while other Ohio post-secondary institutions seek to do the same. Many universities across the U.S. also recognize Ohio’s Seal of Biliteracy for these purposes.

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Most students will need to complete a lengthy course of study in a world language (typically a minimum of 4 to 5 years) to gain the high level of proficiency necessary to qualify for the award. Students learning higher-difficulty languages like Arabic, American Sign Language, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Russian will likely require additional time and study to attain the Intermediate High benchmark. Districts and schools should tell students about this far enough in advance for them to make an informed decision and arrange their schedules to pursue an Ohio Seal of Biliteracy.

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No, an external seal of biliteracy such as the Global Seal of Biliteracy cannot count towards Ohio’s diploma seal requirement. To maintain the integrity of Ohio’s graduation seals, schools and districts are asked to refrain from affixing other seals to their graduates’ diplomas. These outside accolades can be bestowed in other ways, for example during an awards ceremony or other occasion.

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Yes, homeschooled students are eligible to earn an Ohio Seal of Biliteracy if they meet the English and world language criteria using Department-approved assessments. Parents or caregivers are responsible for transcribing the correct seal of biliteracy notation on their child’s transcript. They are additionally responsible for securing an adhesive Ohio Seal of Biliteracy to affix to their child’s diploma.

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Contact a school counselor to find out if your school or district is participating in the program.

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• Earn a proficient level or higher on Ohio’s prescribed state test(s) for high school English language arts; or
• Earn a remediation-free score on the English and reading sections of one of the state-recognized college readiness examinations prescribed by division (B)(1) of section 3301.0712 of the Revised Code; or
• Earn a proficient level or higher on an Ohio Department of Education and Workforce approved alternative assessment pursuant to section 3313.619 of the Revised Code; or
• Earn a score of proficient or higher on the Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment for grades 9-12, or the grades 9-12 assessment approved by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce pursuant to division (C)(3) of section 3301.0711 of the Revised Code used to assess a student’s progress in learning English if the student has been identified as an English language learner. 

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• Pass an Advanced Placement (AP) World Language and Culture Exam with a score of 4 or higher; or
• Pass an International Baccalaureate (IB) foreign language examination with a score of 5 or higher on the Higher Level language exam or a score of 6 or higher on the Standard Level language exam ; or
• Attain a score of Intermediate High or higher in comprehension, speaking, reading and writing the language based on the ACTFL 2024 Proficiency Guidelines found at actfl.org, using assessments approved by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce; or
• Attain a score equivalent to Intermediate High or higher in the ACTFL 2024 Proficiency Guidelines in interpersonal signing, presentational signing, and demonstrate an understanding of American Sign Language on an American Sign Language assessment approved by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce; or
• Attain a score equivalent to Intermediate High or higher in the ACTFL 2024 Proficiency Guidelines in interpretive reading on a classical language assessment approved by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. 

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Districts and schools should follow the out-of-state transfer student guidance to determine the required high school tests for students when they enroll in an Ohio school. Based on this guidance, students who completed and earned credit for ELA I before enrolling in an Ohio school are not required to take the ELA I test, and their transfer credit will satisfy the current ELA I proficiency requirement for earning an Ohio Seal of Biliteracy for students who entered high school before July 1, 2019. For students who entered high school on or after July 1, 2019, the ELA I test will no longer serve as a Seal of Biliteracy requirement. Additionally, out-of-state transfer credit earned for ELA II cannot be used to qualify for an Ohio Seal of Biliteracy. All out-of-state transfer students who want to use the Ohio State Test option to satisfy the English language requirement to earn an Ohio Seal of Biliteracy must take and earn a proficient score on the Ohio ELA II end-of-course test. 

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Ohio House Bill 164 - Section 12 (133rd GA) allows districts and schools to substitute a final course grade in an eligible course for a student who was scheduled to take the end-of-course examination for the first time in the 2019-2020 school year for a qualifying course that the student completed in that school year, while a student who was scheduled to retake an eligible end-of-course examination in the 2019-2020 school year may use a final course grade for a qualifying course that the student completed in the 2019-2020 school year or a prior school year. Students pursuing an Ohio Seal of Biliteracy are eligible for this flexibility if they were either:

• Taking ELA I or ELA II and were scheduled to take the corresponding end-of-course examination for the first time in the 2019-2020 school year but did not take the test because the administration of the examination was canceled; or
• Scheduled to retake an ELA I or ELA II end-of-course examination in the 2019-2020 school year and did not retake the test because the administration of the examination was canceled.

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Ohio House Bill 67 - Section 9 (134th GA) allows districts and schools to substitute a final course grade in an eligible course for a student in the eleventh or twelfth grade who takes or retakes an end-of-course examination or who is unable to take or retake an end-ofcourse examination for any reason in the 2020-2021 school year. Students pursuing an Ohio Seal of Biliteracy are eligible for this flexibility if they were either:

• Taking ELA I or ELA II and were scheduled to take the corresponding end-of-course examination for the first time in the 2020-2021 school year and took the exam or did not take the test for any reason; or
• Scheduled to retake an end-of-course examination in the 2020-2021 school year and retook the exam or did not retake the test for any reason.

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Who pays for the world language assessments? Ohio law prohibits schools and districts from charging students administrative or processing fees to earn a Seal of Biliteracy. However, students are responsible for any assessment costs not covered by the school or district. Participating schools and districts are responsible for the cost of creating adhesive Seals of Biliteracy to affix to the diplomas of their graduating seniors.

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The school or district leadership team, in consultation with its English language arts teachers, ESL faculty, world language teachers, and school counselors, should decide on participation in the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy Program. If a district is taking part in the program, it should offer the Seal of Biliteracy in all its high schools to ensure equity across the district.

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State law requires the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy to be conferred officially only at the time of graduation. However, once students have qualified for the award, they may wish to indicate on college applications or to future employers, for example, that they have officially qualified to receive the award. Additionally, state law requires that a notation of a student’s attainment of an Ohio Seal of Biliteracy appear on his or her official academic transcript at the time of graduation. Sample: “ is awarded the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy for demonstrating high levels of proficiency in English and .” Additionally, participating schools and districts are responsible for creating adhesive Seals of Biliteracy and affixing them to the diplomas of their graduating seniors. Districts should use the image available on this website when awarding seals. Schools and districts can determine locally other ways of honoring their students for this accomplishment. This may take place at a senior awards program, at graduation, at a whole school assembly, or by mailing some form of written acknowledgment to students after graduation. Schools and districts may wish to create and give out an additional acknowledgment to students such as a certificate, a medal, a plaque, a graduation cord, etc. State funds are not available to support these activities.

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Students must indicate their intentions to earn the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy and complete all required language assessments before graduation. They cannot initiate or complete the process after they have graduated. Score reports for certain assessments, such as the AP and IB exams, may not be available until after the student has graduated. If this is the case, a district or school cannot award or record attainment of the Seal of Biliteracy on students’ transcripts until they have received and verified official scores on approved assessments.

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The Ohio Seal of Biliteracy program code that corresponds to the world language(s) in which a seal was earned should be reported in EMIS along with other student program codes. A list of Seal of Biliteracy Program codes can be found in the EMIS Manual, or on this webpage. For languages not listed in the manual, use the “Other language” code. For assistance, contact the EMIS Help Desk at emis@education.ohio.gov or (614) 387-0395.

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World language assessment results used to determine Ohio Seal of Biliteracy eligibility should not be submitted to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. Instead, participating schools should maintain world language assessment results in recipients’ long-term records after graduation in case a student’s eligibility for an Ohio Seal of Biliteracy ever comes into question and an official inquiry is made.

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Private and independent schools are under no obligation to report Seal of Biliteracy recipients to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. However, in the event of future questions about the validity of a graduate’s Seal of Biliteracy, the Department strongly encourages private and independent schools to maintain long-term records for graduates who have earned the award. These records should minimally include:

• Student name and identifying number;
• Year of graduation;
• Notation of how the student satisfied the English language requirement, including applicable assessments and qualifying scores;
• Notation of the specific world language(s) for which the student satisfied the world language requirements; and
• Notation of how the student satisfied the world language requirement, including applicable assessments and qualifying scores.

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The world language testing window will open 15 months prior to the expected date of graduation for students to benefit from the attainment of a Seal of Biliteracy at the time they apply for postsecondary study. Typically, this would be in February or March of a student’s junior year. This window also permits a student to attempt to pass a Department-approved world language proficiency assessment more than once, if needed, to earn a Seal of Biliteracy. The results from proficiency assessments completed before the 15-month testing window cannot be used to satisfy the world language requirements of the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy.

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Language proficiency is not static and deteriorates over time, especially if a student is not actively using or learning the language. To maintain the integrity of Ohio’s Seal of Biliteracy, participating schools and districts must ensure that students can demonstrate the required level of world language proficiency at the time of graduation for university admissions officers, military recruiters, and prospective employers. 

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Yes, within the 15-month testing window, it is allowable for a student to take an approved world language assessment more than once, if necessary, to demonstrate the required level of world language proficiency. Please note that some exams may be offered only one time per year and others may be offered more than once a year. School officials and testing coordinators should determine a local schedule for students based on the language assessments their students and local stakeholder’s desire. If retakes of individual assessment sections are permitted by an assessment vendor, students may retake just those sections for which they did not initially attain a qualifying score of Intermediate High or higher.

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School and district officials in charge of awarding the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy should consult this webpage for a list of approved assessments, which gives the minimum score or scores required on each test to demonstrate the required Intermediate High level of language proficiency. Districts cannot use results from assessments not included on the approved list or not at the minimal level of required proficiency to award an Ohio Seal of Biliteracy.

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The Ohio Seal of Biliteracy is a state-recognized credential. As such, test security procedures need to be in place and followed for all English and world language assessments administered to qualify students for the seal. Schools may not administer the world language proficiency assessments in students’ homes. To ensure the validity of assessment results and impartiality, the Department recommends that teachers not administer seal of biliteracy qualifying tests to their own students or score them.

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State funding is not available to support world language proficiency testing. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce encourages schools and districts to use local and federal funding sources to support students who cannot afford the cost of an assessment. Also, some vendors will offer a reduced price if a district or school purchases a minimum number of assessments. Schools and districts may want to explore the idea of forming regional consortia to facilitate testing of students seeking the Seal of Biliteracy.

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Yes. The federal Title III Program allows this use because the proficiency testing meets the following federal conditions: it is supplemental, it is not required by state law, and it is specific for EL needs and contributes to their achievement.

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Yes. The federal Title IV-A program allows this use if the proficiency testing is supplemental, not required by state law, and meets the purpose and intent of Title IV-A. In this case, the activity would fall within the Well-Rounded Education area of the grant, under Foreign Language Instruction, or “Other Well-Rounded Education Supports.” Local Education Agencies (LEAs) must comply with the other requirements of Title IV-A. Details can be found in the Title IV-A Budget Details, 2. Activities section, or in the Title IV-A Spending Guide. 

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The student’s Seal of Biliteracy contact at the school should reach out to a world language specialist at the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce as soon as possible. The Department will work with testing vendors, professional language organizations, university language departments, and/or embassy education offices to help identify either a comparable assessment that meets the Intermediate High proficiency requirement or an alternative method of proficiency testing.

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