Nine Huntsville students earn Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy; four qualify for global recognition
Summary
Amber King announced nine Huntsville High students received the Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy; four of them (Mauricio Hernandez, Vanessa Hernandez, Angie Pineda and Alondra Trujillo) met higher thresholds to earn the global biliteracy seal.
Amber King told the board that nine Huntsville High School students earned the Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy after completing four assessments: reading, writing, speaking and listening in a second language in addition to English.
"We had 9 that earned it," King said, and she listed students by name and attendance status. King described the assessment as rigorous and noted that since Arkansas's 2017 pilot year more than 8,110 students across 124 high schools have attained the seal in 46 languages.
King said four students also qualified for a global biliteracy seal that can be recognized internationally. "Mauricio Hernandez, Vanessa Hernandez, Angie Pineda, and Alondra Trujillo all 4 of them qualified and actually obtained the global biliteracy seal," she said.
Why it matters: The Seal of Biliteracy signals documented language proficiency on a transcript or diploma and can be used for college or employment recognition; the district had nine recipients this cycle.
What's next: King said staff will offer retesting opportunities for students who missed one subtest and will continue to promote multilingual pathways in the district.
