Punjabi and the California State Seal of Biliteracy: what parents need to know

The State Seal of Biliteracy is a gold seal placed on a California high school diploma or transcript. It recognises graduates who have reached a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading and writing one or more languages in addition to English, and Punjabi counts. Punjabi is not on the state's list of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or ACTFL exams, so a student proves Punjabi proficiency one of two ways: a four year course of study in the language, or a school district approved assessment.

Who awards the Seal

The Seal is awarded by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction under criteria set in California Education Code sections 51460 to 51464. The California Department of Education processes the requests and mails the physical seals to school districts, county offices of education and direct funded charter schools, which then place them on diplomas or transcripts. The state's own summary is on the CDE State Seal of Biliteracy page, which says all public schools are eligible to take part in the programme.

The Department's Seal of Biliteracy FAQ says the Seal is an award conferred by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and so is not awarded to private school students. It also says no fee may be charged to students who take part in the programme, citing Education Code section 51464.

What a student must show in English

Every candidate has to satisfy two sides: English, and the other language. On the English side, the Department's State Seal of Biliteracy Requirements sheet says a student meets it through one of the following.

• Complete all English language arts requirements for graduation with an overall grade point average of 3.0 in those classes. English language arts courses taken at a college or university while in high school may be used.
• Pass the grade eleven California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress for English language arts at or above the "standard met" achievement level.
• Pass an English Advanced Placement examination with a score of 3 or higher.
• Pass an English International Baccalaureate examination with a score of 4 or higher.
• Score 480 or above on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section of the SAT.

One extra rule applies to students who are classified as English learners. The same sheet says they must also reach an oral language composite score of level 4 on the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California.

What a student must show in Punjabi

The Requirements sheet lists the ways to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. A student needs one of these.

• Successfully complete a four year course of study in a world language at high school level or higher, with an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher, and demonstrate oral proficiency comparable to that required to pass an AP or IB examination.
• Pass a world language AP examination with a score of 3 or higher.
• Pass an IB examination with a score of 4 or higher.
• Pass the ACTFL Writing Proficiency Test and Oral Proficiency Interview with scores of intermediate mid or higher.
• Pass a school district language examination that, at a minimum, assesses speaking, reading and writing in a language other than English at the proficient level or higher.

These come from California Education Code section 51461.

There is no AP Punjabi exam, so what counts?

The Department's Seal page publishes the language lists for the three assessments named in statute. Punjabi does not appear in the AP list, the IB list or the ACTFL list on that page. That rules out three of the five options above and leaves two: the four year course of study, and the district approved assessment.

The four year route does not depend on an exam existing in the language. It asks for the course work, an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher, and oral proficiency comparable to that required to pass an AP or IB examination. Whether a school offers four years of Punjabi is a local question.

For the district route, the Department states that local educational agencies must certify that any world language proficiency assessment they use, other than the three named in statute, meets the rigour of a four year high school course of study and, at a minimum, assesses speaking, reading and writing in the language at the proficient level or higher.

To help districts, the Department publishes a list of locally approved assessments. The page describes the list as an optional resource identifying locally approved off the shelf assessments where a district does not use one of the statutorily identified assessments. Punjabi does appear on that list, among the languages offered by ALTA Language Services.

There is also a county office of education route. The Sacramento County Office of Education Seal of Biliteracy page says it offers a language exam option for students who have no language course or assessment offered at their school, and it names Punjabi among the languages it assesses for oral and written proficiency.

These sources do not publish a Punjabi pass score. They do not say what a district assessment costs, if anything, or who arranges it. They do not say whether a student outside Sacramento County may use that county office option. Those answers sit with the district, not on a state web page.

Start with the school counsellor

The Department's FAQ is clear that the district decides which locally approved assessments meet the requirement, and reports that information to the state on the annual Insignia Request Form. So the first conversation is a local one, not a state one.

Bring these questions to the counsellor or the school office:

• Does our district take part in the State Seal of Biliteracy programme?
• Which assessment does the district accept for Punjabi, and does the school offer a four year Punjabi course?
• Who is the district's Seal of Biliteracy coordinator?
• What is the deadline in my child's final year, and what has to be done before it?
• Does my child already meet the English side through coursework or a test score?

If the school cannot answer, the Requirements sheet gives the Department's Multilingual Support Division as the contact, at SEAL@cde.ca.gov.

What the Seal does for a student

One gold, embossed seal is provided for each qualifying graduate, per language in addition to English, and it is placed on the graduate's high school diploma or transcript. The Department's FAQ says a student may earn the Seal in more than one language, and that each college or university decides on its own whether to recognise it. The FAQ also describes the Seal as something employers may use to identify people with language and biliteracy skills, and universities may use to recognise and give academic credit.

Note what every qualifying route asks for: writing as well as speaking and reading, at the proficient level or higher, and an assessment that meets the rigour of a four year high school course of study. Reading and speaking Punjabi at home is a head start on that, not a substitute for it.

This is general information, not legal or school admissions advice. The district has the final word on which assessments it accepts.

Common questions

Is there an AP exam in Punjabi?

No. The Department's Seal page lists the AP languages, and Punjabi is not among them. The same is true of the IB list and the ACTFL list on that page. That leaves the four year course of study option and the district approved assessment option.

Can my child earn the Seal if the high school does not teach Punjabi?

The state requirements do not tie the Seal to a course at your child's school. One of the options is passing a district language examination that assesses speaking, reading and writing at the proficient level or higher. The Sacramento County Office of Education describes its own language exam option as being for students who have no language course or assessment offered at their school. Whether your district offers or accepts such an exam is a question for the district.

Does it cost anything?

The Department's FAQ says no fee may be charged to students who participate in the State Seal of Biliteracy programme, citing Education Code section 51464. The sources used here do not spell out whether any third party language assessment carries a cost or who covers it, so ask the school directly.

When should we start asking?

Sooner than the final term. The English side can depend on coursework grades and on a test taken in grade eleven, and the language side can depend on a four year course of study, which has to be started early enough to finish. Raising it early in high school gives the family room to plan.