Whether you are ordering from a coffee shop or working in the classroom, communicating with others shapes your life and provides you new opportunities. The town of Brookline is looking to celebrate those who can communicate in multiple languages through the Seal of Biliteracy program.
The Seal of Biliteracy, represented by an acknowledgement on graduates’ transcripts, is a program that is being considered for introduction at the high school in the near future. The seal recognizes students’ multiliteracy through a process of testing.
The program has been implemented in many places around the country, but it has yet to reach Brookline. Rachel Eio, World Language Curriculum Coordinator at the high school, said the effort to bring the program to Brookline is an attempt to recognize those who have worked hard to master multiple languages.
“The state was looking for a way to really celebrate the linguistic diversity of students across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and to really encourage students to continue their language study beyond the two year graduation requirement,” Eio said.
The process to get the seal includes testing of students’ bilingual abilities. For the English portion, the requirement is for the student to pass the English Language Arts Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test. For all other languages, another comprehensive language test for the language of their choosing is required.
Alison Kerr, a French teacher, strongly believes in the impact this program can have on her students. She believes that kids will have more motivation to learn new languages due to this program. Kerr said she plans on assisting students to gain this seal.
“I need to, on a daily basis, push myself to level up every class, to get to where I’m trying to go, and also make students feel like it’s possible to do,” Kerr said. “Because I think the air we breathe, maybe not in Brookline, but in the U.S., is you’ll hear a lot of adults say, ‘I took this many years of a language, and I don’t remember any of it.’ I hear that all the time. And I think this school is so special because students really do achieve a high level of proficiency.”
During a world language review last year, the idea of possibly bringing this program to Brookline was brought up, and this year, the town has decided to consider it more deeply. Jodi Fortuna, Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning at the Public Schools of Brookline, said during the review, teachers realized how many students could both benefit and qualify for the program.
According to Fortuna, many employers also look for students with the ability to speak two languages to benefit their companies, and having the Seal of Biliteracy can attest to their capabilities of confidently communicating in both languages. Fortuna said that many colleges hold a high value for students who have earned the seal.
“It would make them more marketable in the global economy. It would allow them to seek out opportunities that they may not have had if they’re monolingual,” Fortuna said.
Eio said the application of the program in Brookline only further emphasizes the importance of communication in our town. She said it highlights how important language is to the Brookline community.
“I can’t think of anything that’s more important that we are able to do as humans than to communicate with each other and to listen and to interact both through oral language and through written language,” Eio said. “This is a way to celebrate the importance of communication.”
