Guidance for Implementing the Massachusetts State Seal of ...



Guidelines for Implementing the State Seal of BiliteracyDecember 2018Guidelines for Implementing the State Seal of BiliteracyDecember 20184892675447929000Table of ContentsI.Introduction1II.The Department’s Role in the Administration of the State Seal of Biliteracy2III.Steps for the Implementation of the State Seal of Biliteracy3IV.Criteria for Students to Earn the State Seal of Biliteracy4V.Portfolio-Based Alternative Evidence Method for World Language Assessments5Table of ContentsI.Introduction1II.The Department’s Role in the Administration of the State Seal of Biliteracy2III.Steps for the Implementation of the State Seal of Biliteracy3IV.Criteria for Students to Earn the State Seal of Biliteracy4V.Portfolio-Based Alternative Evidence Method for World Language Assessments5? 2018 – Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary EducationIntroductionOn November 22, 2017, Governor Baker signed into law “An Act Relative to Language Opportunity for Our Kids,” Chapter 138 of the Acts of 2017, commonly referred to as the LOOK Act. The State Seal of Biliteracy is a key element of the LOOK Act. On June 26, 2018, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted regulations that describe the criteria that school districts must use to award the State Seal of Biliteracy. The regulations describe that the purposes of the State Seal of Biliteracy are to: Encourage students to study and master languages;Certify attainment of biliteracy skills;Recognize the value of language diversity;Provide employers with a method of identifying people with language and biliteracy skills;Provide universities with a method to recognize and give credit to applicants for the attainment of high-level skills in languages;Prepare students with skills that will benefit them in the labor market and the global society; andStrengthen intergroup communication and honor the multiple cultures and languages in a community.Significantly, the State Seal of Biliteracy provides a means to recognize high school graduates who attain high functional and academic levels of proficiency in English and a world language, meaning that those students can function in those languages in authentic, real-life situations. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) has created this guidance to assist school districts with implementing these new regulations.The Department’s Role in the Administration of the State Seal of BiliteracyThe law and regulations state that the Department shall: Develop an insignia to be affixed to the diploma or transcript of a student who has been awarded the State Seal of Biliteracy; Make the insignia available to school districts in an electronic format for the preparation of diplomas;Annually publish a list of approved assessments and acceptable minimum scores or levels for purposes of 603 CMR 31.07(2)(a)3 and 603 CMR 31.07(2)(b)1; Establish levels of distinction for the State Seal of Biliteracy in guidance. M.G.L. c. 69, § 1Q; 603 CMR 31.07. The Department will update this guidance and provide technical assistance to school districts as needed. 610235170815District or school staff are responsible for the local administration of the State Seal of Biliteracy program. The Department’s primary role as to the State Seal of Biliteracy program is to provide technical assistance. For all technical assistance regarding the State Seal of Biliteracy, please e-mail us at MAStateSealofBiliteracy@doe.mass.edu020000District or school staff are responsible for the local administration of the State Seal of Biliteracy program. The Department’s primary role as to the State Seal of Biliteracy program is to provide technical assistance. For all technical assistance regarding the State Seal of Biliteracy, please e-mail us at MAStateSealofBiliteracy@doe.mass.eduSteps for Participating in the State Seal of Biliteracy ProgramThe State Seal of Biliteracy program begins with the graduating class of 2019.Participation in the State Seal of Biliteracy Program is voluntary for districts. Districts that wish to participate in the program should identify a primary and secondary contact for communication with the Department about the district’s participation. The identified contacts should:Read this guidance;Notify the Department of the district’s intent to participate in the State Seal of Biliteracy program by sending an email to MAStateSealofBiliteracy@doe.mass.edu; Follow the email reply’s prompts to the Department’s Web-Based Monitoring System (WBMS) web page to access the approved insignia and to record the names and contact information for the district’s primary and secondary State Seal of Biliteracy contacts.72326579375WBMS is an application accessible through the Department’s Security Portal that allows districts and the Department to submit, review, and exchange documents and information. Contact your district’s Data Collection Directory Administrator with any questions about accessing the Security Portal.020000WBMS is an application accessible through the Department’s Security Portal that allows districts and the Department to submit, review, and exchange documents and information. Contact your district’s Data Collection Directory Administrator with any questions about accessing the Security Portal.In addition, the school district must follow all requirements for the program, including the following:A school district that awards the State Seal of Biliteracy must affix the unaltered state insignia on the diploma or the transcript, or both, of students who meet the requirements listed in this document; A school district participating in the State Seal of Biliteracy program must provide written notification about the State Seal of Biliteracy to parents or legal guardians of all students enrolled in the district. This notification must include the purposes of the State Seal of Biliteracy, and eligibility requirements, in a language that the parent or legal guardian can understand;A school district must ensure that low-income students have access to any assessment required to qualify for the State Seal of Biliteracy at no cost as described in G.L. c. 70, § 2 With regards to funding options, please note the following: ELA MCAS is free; therefore, no additional funds are needed for the English requirement. For the World language requirement, districts can use: Title IV Part A fundsTitle I funds Other state, federal, and local funds districts have access to in order to cover the fees for low-income students.A school district that awards the State Seal of Biliteracy shall maintain a record of all students who have earned the Seal and the assessment results used to substantiate the student’s biliteracy; andEach school district shall report annually to the Department the names of all students who earned the State Seal of Biliteracy.Criteria for Students to Earn the State Seal of BiliteracyThe criteria for earning the State Seal of Biliteracy can be found in 603 CMR 31.07(2) of the state regulations. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education established these criteria to identify and recognize students who have attained a high level of proficiency in English and not less than one world language. To qualify for the State Seal of Biliteracy, students must meet all graduation requirements and the English language and world language criteria described below: English Language Criteria Students who satisfy the English Language Arts requirement of the Competency Determination described in 603 CMR 30.03(2)(a) or (3)(a) satisfy the English criteria for the State Seal of Biliteracy. For students who have taken the English Language Arts grade 10 MCAS prior to the spring of 2019 (the Legacy MCAS), that means meeting or exceeding the Proficient threshold scaled score of 240. For students taking the MCAS in the spring of 2019 and beyond (the Next-Gen MCAS), the minimum requirement is Meeting Expectations (472-500). The Department also offers MCAS retests in November and March that eligible students can take to obtain a score of 240 (Legacy MCAS) or 472 (Next-Gen MCAS) to satisfy the English criteria for the State Seal of Biliteracy.Students who earn a scaled score between 220 and 238 on the English Language Arts grade 10 Legacy MCAS or between 455 and 471 on the Next-Gen MCAS may satisfy the English language criteria for the State Seal of Biliteracy if they fulfill the requirements of an Educational Proficiency Plan and attain a minimum score or level on a nationally recognized and readily available English proficiency assessment approved by the Department. See 603 CMR 31.07(2)(a)3. Students who retake the grade 10 English Language Arts MCAS in the spring of their 11 or 12 grade year and score a 240 (Legacy MCAS) or 472 (Next-Gen MCAS) satisfy the English language criteria for the State Seal of Biliteracy. Similarly, ACCESS for ELLs is administered to English learners in January and may be used to satisfy the English language criteria for the State Seal of Biliteracy by students who also fulfill the requirements of an Educational Proficiency Plan. These students must demonstrate English proficiency on ACCESS for ELLs with an overall score of at least level 4.2 and a composite literacy score of at least level 3.9. Districts interested in using an English proficiency assessment other than MCAS and ACCESS for ELLs to satisfy the English language criteria for students on an Educational Proficiency Plan should contact the Office of Language Acquisition to request approval.World Language Criteria Students who attain a score or level at the Intermediate-High level of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines of 2012, published by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, on a language assessment approved by the Department satisfy the world language criteria for the State Seal of Biliteracy. A student may also be able to demonstrate a high level of proficiency in a world language under certain circumstances as described in the Portfolio-Based Alternative Evidence Method for Foreign Language Assessments section of this Guidance below.Criteria for the State Seal of Biliteracy with DistinctionStudents who demonstrate mastery of English and a world language may be eligible for the State Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction. To earn the State Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction, students must meet the following criteria:English: meeting or exceeding the Advanced threshold scaled score of 260 on the English Language Arts grade 10 Legacy MCAS test (Next-Gen MCAS – 501-560); and World Language: scoring at the Advanced-Low level of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines of 2012 on an assessment approved by the Department or demonstrating an Advanced-Low level of proficiency through a portfolio-based alternative evidence method described below.Portfolio-Based Alternative Evidence Method for World Language AssessmentsAs stated in the World Language Criteria of this guidance, a student may demonstrate a high level of proficiency in a world language by using the portfolio process as an alternative evidence method under certain circumstances. Those circumstances include the following:Instances when there is not a readily available assessment in a particular world language; and/or The district deems the portfolio process as necessary because of a student’s disability. The portfolio process as an alternative method of providing evidence that the student is Intermediate-High in the world language includes the following steps: The student finds a credible authority of the language who is proficient in the domains of that language who could legitimately review and assess student’s proficiency in the four domains of the world language;The authority in the language reviews the evidence submitted by the student (or meets with the student in person) to assess the domains and certify that the student’s evidence meets the intermediate high criteria;To assess the student, the authority in the language uses the portfolio indicators listed below for each domain (listening, speaking, reading, and writing); The authority in the language signs off to say that the student meets the Intermediate High criteria and there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate so; andThe student/parent(s)/guardian(s) must sign a statement that says districts have the right to review the qualifications of the authority in the language if the district decides to audit the decisions made by such person at any point.Listening (Interpretive Listening) INTERMEDIATE HIGHStudent can easily understand the main idea in messages and presentations on a variety of topics related to everyday life and personal interests and studies. Student can usually understand details of what student overhears in conversations, even when something unexpected is expressed. Student can follow what student hears about events and experiences.Some examples of evidence that could be included in the student’s portfolio for the listening domain: The student can understand an interview between a student reporter and foreign visitors about activities they have done and are planning to do while in town; The student can understand a tour guide’s description of a city’s history and attractions; The student can understand details about a nutritional recommendation in a public service health announcement; The student can understand the services offered in a radio advertisement for an auto repair shop;The student can understand details from public service announcements, such as severe weather warnings or safety alerts; andOther types of evidence as determined by the student and agreed upon by the authority in the language. Speaking has two Modes of Communication:Interpersonal (Person to Person) Communication: Interpersonal (Person to Person) Communication: Learners interact and negotiate meaning in spoken, signed, or written conversations to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinionsPresentational Speaking (Spoken Production): Presentational Speaking (Spoken Production): Learners present information, concepts, and ideas to inform, explain, persuade, and narrate on a variety of topics using appropriate media and adapting to various audiences of listeners, readers, or viewers: Interpersonal Speaking: INTERMEDIATE HIGHStudent can participate with ease and confidence in conversations on familiar topics. Student can usually talk about events and experiences at various points in their lives. Student can usually describe people, places, and things. Student can handle social interactions in everyday situations, sometimes even when there is an unexpected complication.Presentational Speaking: Learners present information, concepts, and ideas to inform, explain, persuade, and narrate on a variety of topics using appropriate media and adapting to various audiences of listeners, readers, or viewers:Some examples of evidence that could be included in the student’s portfolio for the speaking domain: The student can ask and provide information about specific events; The student can ask for and provide information about a hobby or activity; The student can ask for and provide descriptions of places that the student knows or places that the student would like to visit; The student can talk about family history; The student can talk about jobs and career plans; The student can use the language needed to complete a task that requires multiple steps such as providing the basic rules of a game or sport and answer questions about them or they can ask for, follow, and give instructions for preparing food, etc.; andOther types of evidence as determined by the student and agreed upon by the authority in the language. Reading (Interpretive Reading) INTERMEDIATE HIGHThe student can easily understand the main idea of texts related to everyday life, personal interests, and studies. The student can follow stories and descriptions about events and experiences during various time frames in history.Some examples of evidence that could be included in the student’s portfolio for the reading domain: The student can understand written accounts of personal events or experiences; The student can understand a letter describing a family experience/vacation; The student can understand a written description of an individual’s daily life; The student can follow simple written directions; The student can understand the main idea of and a few supporting facts about famous people and historic events in a biography; and Other types of evidence as determined by the student and agreed upon by the authority in the language. Writing (Presentational Writing) INTERMEDIATE HIGHThe student can write on topics related to school, work, and community in a generally organized way. The student can write some simple paragraphs about events and experiences in various time frames.Some examples of evidence that could be included in the student’s portfolio for the writing domain: The student can write about school and academic topics such as writing a simple summary about something the student has learned in school;The student can write a series of steps needed to complete a task;The student can prepare notes for someone who was absent from class or school; The student can write the content for a multi-media presentation, a handout, a synopsis, etc.; The student can write about work and career topics; The student can write about community topics and events; The student can write about an entertainment or social event; and Other types of evidence as determined by the student and agreed upon by the authority in the language.This document was prepared by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary EducationJeffrey C. RileyCommissionerThe Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, an affirmative action employer, is committed to ensuring that all of its programs and facilities are accessible to all members of the public. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Inquiries regarding the Department’s compliance with Title IX and other civil rights laws may be directed to the Human Resources Director, 75 Pleasant St., Malden, MA 02148-4906. Phone: 781-338-6105.? 2018 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary EducationPermission is hereby granted to copy any or all parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes. Please credit the “Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.”This document is printed on recycled paper.Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148-4906Phone 781-338-3000 TTY: N.E.T. Relay 800-439-2370doe.mass.edu ................
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