Urbana board celebrates 39 students earning Illinois Seal of Biliteracy

District officials used the board meeting to recognize students who earned the Illinois Seal of Biliteracy and commendations this year. Dr. Joe Wiemelt, executive director for secondary, multilingual and alternative education, told the board 39 students earned the full seal and 12 earned the commendation; 26 of the 51 recognized students had participated in the district’s dual-language program at some point.

"This year we've had 39 students earn the full seal of biliteracy and 12 students earn the commendation," Dr. Wiemelt said, describing the seal as recognition of proficiency across speaking, listening, reading and writing in English and another language. He explained students can qualify by scoring at required levels on the locally administered STAMP 4S assessment, by AP exam performance, or via ACT/dual-credit pathways the district accepts.

Wiemelt read the roster of students earning seals in Spanish, German, French and Chinese and singled out a few multi‑language achievers. He noted that the seal can translate to college-credit benefits: public universities in Illinois are required to offer credit for the seal, and local University of Illinois programs may grant up to eight credits in the target language for qualifying students.

Board members congratulated students and families, and asked questions about course offerings and future support for world-language programming. Wiemelt noted rising participation — over 60 students tested across junior and senior years this cycle — and said the district expects the number of qualifiers to grow as dual-language cohorts advance.

The board did not vote on program policy at the meeting; the presentation served to honor students and explain assessment pathways and benefits.