Minnesota Bilingual and Multilingual Seals were legislated in the Learning English for Academic Proficiency and Success (LEAPS) Act in 2014. Minnesota public school districts, charter schools, and nonpublic schools may award Minnesota bilingual and multilingual seals to high school students upon graduation who have demonstrated the required levels of language proficiency through assessment in languages other than English, including American Sign Language (ASL) and Indigenous American Indian languages. The required proficiency levels are ACTFL Advanced Low for a Platinum Seal; ACTFL Intermediate High for a Gold Seal in all of the four modalities—listening, reading, speaking and writing.  *Note: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities award college credit only when the test was taken in grades 10, 11, or 12. Therefore; it is NOT recommended to take an assessment in 9^th grade if the goal is to obtain college credit.  

 

Minnesota World Language Proficiency Certificate, legislated in 2009, is an award given to students in any grade level who demonstrate ACTFL’s Intermediate Low level in all of the four modalities—listening, reading, speaking and writing in languages other than in English. *Note: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities award college credit when the test was taken in grades 10, 11, or 12.


Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, a statewide system of 30 colleges and seven universities with 54 campuses across the state, compiled a report that provides findings and recommendations for the granting of college credit for the bilingual and multilingual seals and world language proficiency certificates.

Award levels and the number of college credit

The actual number of college credits may vary depending on an institution. Each institution has a different number of credits per a semester course.

Award	Criteria in all four modalities — listening, reading, speaking and writing	Number of college credits earned
Bilingual Platinum Seal	ACTFL Advanced Low	4 semesters
Bilingual Gold Seal	ACTFL Intermediate High	3 semesters
World Language Proficiency Certificate	ACTFL Intermediate Low	2 semesters

In order to qualify for a bilingual seal, a student must also demonstrate proficiency in English by having met the required English Language Arts credit for high school graduation. The World Language Proficiency Certificate does not have English Language Arts credit requirements.

How to access college credits

• Students must be enrolled in a Minnesota State Colleges and Universities* institution. * Note the University of Minnesota is an independent system that is not part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. 
• Students must make a request for college credit. Students should work with the admission office or advisor. In some cases, scholarship may be impacted by receiving extra credit. Therefore, students should consult with appropriate personnel or offices at the institution.
• Students have taken a test when in grades 10, 11, or 12.
• Students may be required to submit an official high school transcript.
• There is a three-year window to make a request after a high school graduation.

Approved Assessment for Minnesota Bilingual Seals

Students must demonstrate proficiency through assessments. Bilingual Seals and World Language Proficiency Certificate are tied to college credit; therefore, the integrity of the assessment administration is important. These assessments should be treated as such where the students could demonstrate their language proficiency on their own without any assistance. There are a number of assessments that are qualified for earning Minnesota Bilingual, Multilingual Seals, and World Language Proficiency Certificate.

These are widely used assessments by Minnesota schools.

• MN Bilingual Seals Assessment through Extempore (Release date - first week of January)
• Amharic - reading and listening (For speaking and writing, use AVANT STAMP WS.)
• Dakota - reading, listening, speaking and writing
• Hmong - reading and listening (For speaking and writing, use AVANT STAMP WS.)
• Karen - reading, listening, speaking, and writing
• Ojibwe - reading, listening, speaking, and writing
• Oromo - reading, listening, speaking, and writing
• Somali – reading and listening (For speaking and writing, use AVANT STAMPWS.)

• Dari - reading and listening (For speaking and writing, use ACTFL SOBL bundle.) 
• Pashto - reading and listening (For speaking and writing, use ACTFL SOBL bundle.)
• Swahili – listening (For speaking, writing, and reading, use AVANT STAMP WS).
• Ukrainian - reading and listening (For speaking and writing, use AVANT STAMP WS.)

Responsibilities of Districts and Schools

Minnesota Bilingual and Multilingual Seals and World Language Proficiency Certificates are voluntary programs. Schools and districts are strongly encouraged to develop infrastructure to support the implementation of Bilingual and Multilingual Seals and World Language Proficiency Certificate. Implementation of the Bilingual Seals program demonstrates the commitment for equity by elevating the status of linguistic assets other than English that many of our Minnesota students and families possess. Simultaneously, it encourages monolingual English speakers to learn languages other than their own. Biliteracy and bilingualism are for everyone. Strategic implementation of the Bilingual Seals program will bring all learners together for the common goal of biliteracy and bilingualism where learners could develop the valuable linguistic skills, characters and dispositions that are necessary to live and work with people who are different from their own.   

School districts and charter schools have the following responsibilities in the implementation of the Bilingual Seals Program:

1. Student recruitment and identification
2. Assessment administration
3. Awardee identification
4. Seals and proficiency certificate request to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)
5. Record keeping
6. Transcript notation *Note that affixing a seal on a high school diploma is not required by law.  
7. Informing families and students

Requesting Bilingual Seals, Multilingual Seals, and World Language Proficiency Certificate

Bilingual Seals, Multilingual Seals and World Language Proficiency Certificates are the state’s official awards. Schools are required to submit a request form for qualifying graduating students each year.

Professional Learning and Coming Events

Minnesota Bilingual Seals Program and Overview Webinar

• Thursday, August 24, 2023               4-5 p.m.
• Wednesday, September 27, 2023    4-5 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 31, 2023              4-5 p.m.
• Tuesday, November 28, 2023          4-5 p.m.
• Wednesday, January 3, 2024          4-5 p.m.
• Monday, February 5, 2024               4-5 p.m.
• Wednesday, March 6, 2024             4-5 p.m.
• Monday, April 22, 2024                    4-5 p.m.

At this webinar you will learn:

• Overview of the Minnesota Bilingual Seals Program
• Important legislated aspects of the program
• Approved assessment tools and resources
• Schools' responsibilities for successful implementation

Target audience: School personnel and educators in Minnesota's K-12 schools. 

All webinars are the same content. Please choose one session to attend.
Register for the Minnesota Bilingual Seals Program Overview Webinar*

*Microsoft Teams Meeting link will be sent out prior to the webinar. If you have any registration issues or questions, please contact  mde.worldlang@state.mn.us

Resources and Guides:

•  - 3/26/24
  Approved and qualified assessments you can use to demonstrate world language proficiency for issuing bilingual and multilingual seals and world language certificates.
• Form to Request World Language Proficiency Certificates and Seals - 9/5/23
  
• Implementation Guidelines for the Minnesota Bilingual Seals Program - 9/22/22
  
•  - 9/9/22
  This document contains helpful resources and guidance in regards to awarding high school credit based on language proficiency demonstrated through assessment including assessments taken for Minnesota Bilingual Seals and World Language Proficiency Certificate.
• 2021-22 Minnesota Bilingual and Multilingual Seals Report - 6/22/22
  
•  - 3/9/22
  
•  - 9/17/21
  
• Dakota-Lakota and Ojibwe Seals Flyer - 5/7/21
  Assessments in Dakota/Lakota and Ojibwe are now fully developed and available for the first time this year. Circulate the information with this flyer.
• Review of World Language Competencies and Determination of Credit Equivalencies - 3/6/15
  This report provides findings and recommendations for the granting of foreign language college credit for the bilingual and multilingual seals and world language proficiency certificates.