In her own words....

After attending ACTFL 2018, I decided to take the challenge and test my one Spanish 4 student for the Global Seal of Biliteracy (the Seal).  She had the English score needed in the ACT, so my challenge was to see if she could achieve the score in Spanish.  There are many ways to demonstrate achievement, but I choose AAPPL testing.  To qualify for the Seal, she needed to take Form B of the AAPPL test and achieve the Intermediate 4, Intermediate 5 or Advanced 1 level in all four parts:  Interpretive Listening (IL), Interpretive Reading (IR), Interpersonal Listening and Speaking (ILS), and Presentational Writing (PW).  

The testing cost $20, but since I am at a private school, the school paid for it.  So, there was no issue with funding or a lengthy process to receive funding.  It is a reasonable price.  Also, results for the IL and IR were virtually instant.  The ILS and PW took a few weeks.  

The value of earning this distinction is high for university level and in the workplace.  The trend in the industry is to use this common language for assessment and help place students and workers accurately based on their language knowledge.  

I highly encourage every teacher to work towards having his/ her student earn the Global Seal of Biliteracy and be recognized for reading, writing, speaking and listening proficiency.

Some links to help:

https://www.languagetesting.com/pub/media/wysiwyg/AAPPL_Measure_Forms-ACTFL_Performance_Scale.png

https://theglobalseal.com/apply

Rhea Grate

rgrate@stjweb.org 

Saint James School

Montgomery, AL