Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the World Languages topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board finds ‘reasonable progress’ for world languages; district cites increases in Seal of Biliteracy participation
Summary
The Verona Area School Board accepted the superintendent’s results monitoring report on world languages as achieving reasonable progress after staff presented enrollment, assessment and student‑voice data and described steps to expand access to Seal of Biliteracy pathways.
The Verona Area School Board voted to accept the district’s world languages results monitoring report as demonstrating reasonable progress after staff presented multiple data sources and student feedback.
Why it matters: district leaders said world language instruction and credentialing — including the Seal of Biliteracy and STAMP proficiency testing — connect directly to the district’s strategic priorities of student agency and inclusive teaching. Board members signaled that student impact data and program outcomes are central to evaluating progress.
What the report said: district staff presented high‑school participation rates, the number of advanced courses (level 4 and above, AP and dual credit) and results from the STAMP proficiency assessment and a student survey. Staff told the board that participation in world language coursework in Verona compares favorably with peer districts; the district offers four languages at the high school level (Spanish, French, German and Mandarin) though American Sign Language was not offered this year because a teacher was not available.
Standards and credentialing: staff reported increases in the percentage of students meeting STAMP proficiency thresholds used for Seal of Biliteracy eligibility (the district described a notable increase in passing rates among students who took the assessment). District staff said 52 students attempted the Seal of Biliteracy this year and roughly 80.8 percent of those attempts resulted in the seal; staff also noted that, for the first time, students identified as English learners participated in sufficient numbers to be counted among seal recipients.
Student voice: the report included qualitative portfolio excerpts from students describing the personal and family roles bilingualism plays (examples provided in the presentation included students describing interpreting for family members and seeing bilingualism as “strength and courage”). Staff also shared a district student survey (about 500 respondents) showing that 76 percent of respondents said they would continue language study in high school or college and cited college readiness and enjoyment of language as top reasons.
Board discussion and next steps: board members praised the qualitative student material and the district’s focus on the STAMP assessment and Seal of Biliteracy as indicators of impact rather than solely implementation measures. Staff outlined several leadership moves for 2025–26, including expanded outreach to multilingual families, curriculum alignment across languages, additional support for multilingual learners, expanded learning opportunities (virtual options where needed), and efforts to make the STAMP assessment and seal pathways more visible to students and families earlier in the pipeline.
Formal action: the board moved, seconded and approved a motion recording that the results monitoring report for world languages achieved reasonable progress. Staff said they will keep the board informed about outreach and program adjustments in the coming year.
Ending note: board members asked staff to continue centering student voice and to return with evidence of increased student awareness of the STAMP test and the Seal of Biliteracy pathway.
