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The Seal of Biliteracy is an award placed on a student’s high school diploma or transcript to recognize that they have attained proficiency in two or more languages by graduation. Once a California idea, it is now offered by all 50 states and Washington, D.C. This guide explains what the award is, who offers it, how students earn it, and why it matters for students and districts.
Table of contents
What the Seal of Biliteracy Is
Quick answer: the Seal of Biliteracy is a formal recognition, awarded by a state, district, or school, that a student has reached a high level of proficiency in English plus at least one other language by the time they graduate from high school. It appears on the diploma or transcript.
A Brief History
The award originated in California, which became the first state to adopt it, effective January 1, 2012. The idea spread quickly: as of 2026, all 50 states and the District of Columbia offer a State Seal of Biliteracy, though each sets its own criteria.
The Seal of Biliteracy by the Numbers
The award has grown from a California experiment into one of the fastest-growing credentials in American education.
| Metric | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| States offering a State Seal of Biliteracy | All 50 + Washington, D.C. | Seal of Biliteracy National Report |
| Seals awarded in 2021-2022 | 147,937 | 2023 National Report |
| Seals awarded in 2018 (for comparison) | About 91,000 | National reporting |
| Share awarded to current or former English Learners | 38% | 2023 National Report |
| First state to adopt (effective date) | California, January 1, 2012 | California Department of Education |
| Most commonly awarded language | Spanish | National reporting |
Two numbers deserve a district leader’s attention. Growth: awards rose by more than 60 percent between 2018 and 2022, and the trend has continued as the last states launched their programs. And equity: nearly four in ten seals go to current or former English Learners, which makes the seal one of the few statewide credentials that formally values the home languages EL students bring to school.
What This Guide Covers, and Where to Go Next
The Seal is a single idea expressed in 51 different sets of rules, which is why it needs more than one page to cover honestly. This one is the overview: what the award is, where it came from, how large it has become, what the research says, and how a district builds a programme around it. The operational questions each have their own page.
| What you need | Where it is covered |
|---|---|
| The proficiency thresholds and which assessments states accept | Seal of Biliteracy Requirements |
| The steps a student actually follows, and when | How to Get the Seal of Biliteracy |
| What the award is worth to a student, and whether it pays off | Benefits of the Seal of Biliteracy |
| How criteria differ state by state | Seal of Biliteracy by State |
| Your own state’s rules | California, New York, Illinois, Florida, Texas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Missouri, Virginia |
Quick answer on how it is earned: nearly every state asks for two things, evidence of English proficiency and evidence of proficiency in another language, the second demonstrated through an approved assessment or course pathway. The thresholds and accepted evidence are where states diverge, and those are set out in Seal of Biliteracy requirements.
What the Research Says About Earning the Seal
The seal is young enough that rigorous research is only now arriving, and the early findings are encouraging. A 2024 study in Foreign Language Annals by Davin and colleagues examined postgraduation outcomes and found graduates valued the seal as a signal of identity and skill, with employers and colleges increasingly recognizing it. A federal study of New Mexico’s program by REL Southwest offered one of the first quantitative looks at who earns seals and how earning one relates to college outcomes, part of a broader research base linking multilingualism to stronger college enrollment.
The honest caveat is that causal evidence is still thin: researchers can show who earns the seal and what follows, but isolating the seal’s own effect from the abilities of the students who earn it remains difficult. What is well established is the value of the underlying skill. The seal’s job is to make that skill visible.
Why the Award Exists at All
The case for the Seal is easy to state and easy to get wrong. It is not primarily a reward. It is a translation device: it converts a skill that has always existed in American schools, and has often been treated as a deficit, into a credential a college admissions officer or an employer can read.
That framing explains the equity finding above. Nearly four in ten seals go to current or former English Learners, students whose home language was, for most of the history of American schooling, something to be replaced rather than certified. The Seal does not teach anyone a language. It changes what the system counts. What the award is worth in practice, for a student and for a district, is covered in the benefits of the Seal of Biliteracy.
From a Local Idea to a National Standard
The award did not begin as legislation. The advocacy coalition Californians Together developed the concept in 2008 and spent several years persuading schools and lawmakers to adopt it. California passed enabling legislation in 2011, and the first seals were awarded to more than 10,000 graduating seniors in spring 2012. New York adopted its own version the same year, and the model spread steadily until, by 2024, all 50 states and the District of Columbia offered a State Seal of Biliteracy.
That history matters for how the award is read today. Because each state wrote its own rule, the seal is a shared idea expressed in 51 different sets of criteria. A graduate in one state may earn it through Advanced Placement scores, while a graduate in another earns it through a points system or a portfolio. The common thread is the standard the award represents: functional proficiency in English and at least one other language, verified rather than assumed.
How Districts Build a Strong Seal Program
For a district, the seal is not just a graduation-day sticker; it is a goal that organizes a language program. The districts that award the most seals tend to do four things.
- Identify candidates early. Home language surveys and world-language enrollment identify potential earners by grade 9, not senior year. Nearly 4 in 10 seals go to current or former English Learners, so the EL roster is the first place to look.
- Publish the pathway. Students and families should know by early high school which assessments count, what levels are required, and when to test. Some states offer pathway awards in earlier grades that keep students motivated.
- Schedule assessments deliberately. Most assessments are best taken junior or senior year, with time to retake. Districts that leave testing to chance lose eligible students to logistics.
- Build the proficiency, especially speaking. The most common shortfall for world-language learners is speaking; for heritage speakers it is academic reading and writing. Programs that add regular oral practice in both languages produce more earners than programs that only add a test date.
The costs are modest, mainly assessment fees that many districts cover, and the return is a visible, state-recognized outcome for bilingual and dual-language programs. Districts using bilingual education or dual-language models can treat seal counts as a program KPI.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Seal of Biliteracy?
An award on a high school diploma or transcript recognizing that a student has attained proficiency in English plus at least one other language by graduation.
How many states have the Seal of Biliteracy?
As of 2026, all 50 states and the District of Columbia offer a State Seal of Biliteracy, each with its own criteria.
Who created the Seal of Biliteracy?
The advocacy coalition Californians Together developed the concept in 2008. California passed enabling legislation in 2011 and awarded the first seals in spring 2012. Every state now runs its own version, with criteria set by the state education agency.
When did the Seal of Biliteracy start?
California was the first state to adopt it, effective January 1, 2012; it has since spread to all 50 states and D.C.
Who actually awards the seal?
In most states the seal is granted at the district level and applied to the diploma and transcript at graduation, while the state education agency sets the criteria a district must follow.
When do students demonstrate the proficiency?
Typically during grades 9 through 12, with the language assessment often scheduled in the junior or senior year so results arrive before graduation. Some states also offer an earlier pathway award or commendation for students on track.
Does the Seal of Biliteracy cost anything?
The seal itself is awarded at no cost. Some approved proficiency assessments carry a testing fee, though many districts cover it for their students.
Which languages qualify?
Any language for which a state accepts an approved assessment, course sequence, or portfolio. Spanish is the most commonly awarded language nationwide, but states also recognize languages such as Chinese, Arabic, French, Korean, Vietnamese, and many others, including American Sign Language in several states.
Do colleges recognize it?
Many do, granting world-language credit or advanced placement, though policies vary by institution and state. A few states, such as Illinois, require public universities to award credit for the seal.
How many students earn the Seal of Biliteracy each year?
147,937 graduates earned a seal in the 2021-2022 school year, up from about 91,000 in 2018, according to the National Seal of Biliteracy Report. Totals have continued to grow as the final states launched their programs.
How many seals go to English Learners?
About 38 percent of seals are awarded to current or former English Learners. The seal is one of the few statewide credentials that formally recognizes the home languages EL students bring to school.
What is the difference between the State Seal and the Global Seal of Biliteracy?
The State Seal is the official award defined by each state and placed on the diploma or transcript. The Global Seal of Biliteracy is a separate, privately issued credential that certifies proficiency independently of state criteria and can be earned outside high school. Many students qualify for both with the same assessment scores.
Does the seal appear on the transcript?
Yes, in most states the seal is affixed to the diploma and noted on the official transcript, which is how colleges see it during admissions.
Related Resources
- Seal of Biliteracy Requirements
- How to Get the Seal of Biliteracy
- Benefits of the Seal of Biliteracy
- Seal of Biliteracy by State
- What Is Bilingual Education?
Conclusion
The Seal of Biliteracy turns bilingualism into a recognized credential, now available in every state. For students it is a low-cost way to document a valuable skill; for districts it is proof that language programs work, and a goal that motivates the sustained practice biliteracy requires.
Sources: SealofBiliteracy.org; 2023 National Seal of Biliteracy Report; California Department of Education; Davin et al., Foreign Language Annals (2024); IES, REL Southwest New Mexico study.
What Turns a Diploma Seal Into Real Bilingualism
The award is a small mark on a transcript, but it stands for something large: a graduate who can actually function in two languages. For that mark to mean anything, the bilingualism behind it has to be real, and real bilingualism is built over years of using both languages, not certified at the last minute.
This is where many students hit a ceiling. Coursework introduces a language, but proficiency comes from speaking and listening at volume, and a full classroom rarely gives any one student enough of that individual practice.
Schools that take the Seal seriously look for ways to add that practice throughout a student’s years, in both program languages. Telo AI is one example districts use, with separate English, Spanish, and French apps for conversation and feedback.
See how schools build the bilingualism the Seal recognizes: https://mytelo.ai/how-telo-works/
When the underlying skill is genuine, the credential simply confirms what a student already lives. The Seal is worth most in the districts where it certifies real ability rather than a threshold barely cleared.
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