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House bill would create Pennsylvania Seal of Biliteracy on high school diplomas
Summary
House Bill 1877, introduced Sept. 23, 2025, would add a Pennsylvania Seal of Biliteracy to diplomas, require the Department of Education to set English and foreign-language proficiency criteria beginning in 2026-27, and direct the State Board of Education to report annually on the program’s efficacy.
House Bill 1877, introduced Sept. 23, 2025, in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, would add a Pennsylvania Seal of Biliteracy to approved high school diplomas and require the Department of Education to establish criteria beginning with the 2026–2027 school year. The measure was referred to the House Committee on Education on Sept. 25, 2025.
If enacted, the bill would add Section 1511.2 to the Public School Code of 1949 to authorize awarding a Pennsylvania Seal of Biliteracy to any student who demonstrates proficiency in English and at least one other foreign language on approved diplomas. To qualify, a student must (1) complete all requirements to earn a high school diploma, (2) meet any English proficiency criteria the Department of Education establishes, and (3) meet any foreign-language proficiency criteria the Department establishes.
The bill includes a "notwithstanding" clause referencing section 2604-B(b)(2)(v) and administrative rules in 22 Pa. Code §§ 4.24, 4.51 and 4.51c; the text states the Seal of Biliteracy provisions operate notwithstanding those cited provisions. The bill also directs the State Board of Education, by Aug. 31 of the year after the Department establishes criteria and each Aug. 31 thereafter, to issue a report on the seal’s efficacy, rate of completion among graduating students and recommendations for improvement, including proposed legislation, to the chair and minority chair of both the Senate and House Education Committees.
The act’s text states it would take effect immediately upon enactment. At present the measure is a proposed law: it has been introduced and referred to committee and no vote or enactment is recorded in the bill text.
Key details specified in the bill include the effective start for awarding the seal (the 2026–2027 school year), diploma and language-proficiency prerequisites, and a recurring reporting requirement for the State Board of Education. The bill does not define specific proficiency tests, score thresholds, implementation funding, or timelines for the Department’s rulemaking beyond the school year and reporting dates specified.
Because the measure is at the introduction stage, further action—committee hearings, amendments, votes and any implementing regulations by the Department of Education—would determine how the seal program would operate in practice.
