Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Bilingual Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Smith Voke highlights Spanish program and pathways to Seal of Biliteracy
Summary
Spanish teacher Aaron Mendon outlined Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School's Spanish sequence, the state Seal of Biliteracy criteria and a biliteracy pathways certificate used to demonstrate language skills to employers and colleges.
Aaron Mendon, Spanish teacher at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, told the board the school now offers Spanish 1 through Spanish 3 plus a Heritage Spanish course and a biliteracy pathways credential aimed at employer recognition. "The Seal of biliteracy is a stamp that goes on a student's diploma," Mendon said, describing the seal as evidence that a graduate can read, write, speak and comprehend at a specified level in two languages.
Mendon explained how the Seal differs from the school's biliteracy pathway certificates: the Seal is awarded on the diploma at graduation after students meet state testing thresholds in reading, writing, speaking and listening, while pathways certificates provide more immediate employer-facing evidence of language skills. He noted some students—particularly heritage speakers—perform strongly in oral and listening domains but may fall short on the writing portion and sometimes retake that section.
The teacher described the standardized assessment used for Spanish proficiency and how classroom placement varies widely at Smith Voke: many students begin in Spanish 1 while some heritage learners are at high intermediate levels. Mendon said several colleges are beginning to offer credit tied to biliteracy recognition; as an example he cited a local campus offering credit for the Seal.
Board members and staff asked about test administration, scoring, and partnerships. Mendon said the speaking portion is completed on computer and graded by trained raters, and he described a recent regional grant that funded collaboration among five vocational schools to develop the biliteracy pathways program. The board heard that the pathways certificates have allowed roughly a dozen students to demonstrate novice-high proficiency across domains and that many juniors who narrowly miss writing thresholds plan to retake that portion.
District leaders said the biliteracy work aligns with career-education goals and can strengthen graduates' resumes. The presentation concluded with trustees thanking Mendon and encouraging continued outreach to families and partner institutions.
