Multilingualism is a skill to be celebrated! The Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy is an award that recognizes high school graduates who have attained high functional and academic levels of proficiency in English and another world language by high school graduation. The award takes the form of a Seal that appears on the transcript of the graduating senior and is a declaration of accomplishment for future employers and for college admissions. Several public and private institutions of higher learning in Massachusetts provide credits for prior learning and/or advanced course placement for students who have earned the Seal of Biliteracy.
In the fall of their senior year, Newton South students are invited to register for a qualifying proficiency assessment in one or more world languages. Students are encouraged to demonstrate their skills not just in languages they have studied at Newton South, but in languages they use in their home or community life as well. Students with questions about the Seal of Biliteracy should consult their counselor, their world language or EL teacher, or World Language department chair Suzanne Murphy Ferguson.
