Vestavia Hills schools introducing Seal of Biliteracy

Vestavia Hills schools are hoping to set an example with a new Seal of Biliteracy program.

The program is the first in the state and is in line with a nationwide trend toward promoting multi-lingual studies in school. It was announced at the Sept. 30 Vestavia Hills Board of Education meeting.

“I’m hoping that Vestavia will lead the charge and start making some changes that will help our students across the state,” said Lisa Garrison, a Spanish teacher at Vestavia Hills High School.

While increased opportunities for global learning and inclusivity are a part of the Vestavia Hills City Schools strategic plan, Superintendent Sheila Phillips said the Seal of Biliteracy came without a directive from the Board of Education.

“This is the perfect example of what the teachers and the students are accomplishing, and what they’re doing are things that are already happening,” Phillips said. “This is so embedded in our strategic plan, but that wasn’t the reason they’re doing what they’re doing. They actually just kind of collided.”

The Seal of Biliteracy program will kick off in the 2016-17 school year. Students will be able to apply in their junior or senior year and must meet several basic language proficiency requirements.

“In an ever-changing world where it’s becoming more and more important to be multi-lingual, we want to support our students who are heritage speakers, as well as to encourage other students who are pursuing second language learning at our high school or within our school system,” Garrison said.

Jane-Marie Marlin, director of curriculum and instruction for Vestavia Hills City Schools, commended the system’s world language teachers for their hard work and collaboration.

“This is something that with Lisa [Garrison]’s leadership has happened, and they have worked really hard in a lot of areas,” Marlin said. “The alignment between our middle school and high school world language programs … that has made a big difference in what we have been able to do.”

Heritage speakers and native English speakers can apply for the Seal of Biliteracy. A few requirements to show English proficiency are a minimum score of 20 on the ACT English and reading requirement, a 2.5 GPA or higher in all four years of English language arts classes and a 5 or higher on the WIDA, an English-proficiency test for ESL students.

To show proficiency in a second language, students must get a 3 or higher on the AP exam or meet certain guidelines on the assessments that are used for less common languages.

“Clearly, we are Vestavia and we are a very diverse community and we like to embrace who we are, and we strive to be innovators and leaders in preparing our students to be successful and global citizens,” Garrison said.

Garrison said the seal will show that Vestavia Hills students can communicate and function in another langue.

“The point of the Seal of Biliteracy is to communicate not only to empower our students,” Garrison said, “but also to communicate with postsecondary institutions, our colleges and universities, as well as in the workplace so they can see our students have a marketable skill.”