Beginning this year, the Seal of Biliteracy, a credential awarded at graduation that honors students who have shown proficiency in multiple languages, is in motion to undergo significant changes in the district, which will condense the number of students who are able to receive it. The Seal of Biliteracy can be gained from results of the Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency test (STAMP), which measures a student’s proficiency in a language as well as AP Exam scores. This credential can benefit students in strengthening their college applications and allows them to earn college credit or be placed in more advanced classes. 

The first big change involves a new requirement where a parent or guardian must submit a form to the school notifying that their student intends to pursue the seal, a task that students are unable to do themselves. LOHS Spanish teacher Kelly Nalty explained that, “If the parents don’t do the form, then even if the student would qualify for it based on their exam scores, they wouldn’t get it.” This additional step can make it hard for many students to gain the credential, as it is inherently out of their full control. Moreover, LOHS admin assistant Barbara Mackey added that other valued credentials, like National Honor Society (NHS), don’t require any level of parent signature to receive it, highlighting the arbitrariness of this new requirement. For students with parents with busy schedules, those who tend to miss deadlines, or those who aren’t aware of the policy change announced in the Laker Weekly newsletter, this well-deserved credential for a student’s hard work could be lost. Additionally, this new barrier puts a great toll on the number of students with parents whose native language isn’t English. “It’s almost closing the door [on students] who already are struggling to figure out the…difficulties that come with managing life here when you are not from here…so that the population would have benefited from the old rule, which was no paperwork,” commented Nalty.

Furthermore, beginning with the Class of 2027, other methods of testing language proficiency are being restricted in the district. In previous years, students were able to qualify for their seal based on other proficiency tests like AP exam scores; however, now the STAMP 4S test will be the only option for demonstrating proficiency. Already in the LOHS class of 2027, 10 students will need to take the STAMP test to replace their results of AP exams in order to receive the Seal of Biliteracy. 

This change is only being implemented in the LOSD district, while the rest of the state of Oregon will continue to take other testing methods of language proficiency. Moreover, at a time where budget cuts are being made, this change only results in money being unnecessarily spent in the district. With approximately 22 dollars being spent for each STAMP test, the district will presumably end up paying around 400 dollars each year for every student who attempts to take the test in order to receive the credential. 

The crucial question is, why are we making it harder for students to gain a credential in something they already know and have proven? Some may say that whenever you add a layer of bureaucracy, it’s in order to make it harder for someone to get something. These changes to the Seal of Biliteracy are only pushing it away from the students who stand to gain the most from it. According to the Seal of Biliteracy website, it promotes bilingual pride and encourages students to be biliterate; however, if this is truly the purpose, the extended barriers are merely doing the opposite.