In the past month, three significant events signal an opportunity to shift the Seal of Biliteracy paradigm.  First, in May, while speaking at the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) Multiliteracy Symposium, I had the honor to announce that Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) now offers a college credit program to any Global Seal of Biliteracy recipient. This means, for example, that someone with a Global Seal of Biliteracy in Chinese, Somali or Chin (or any other language we credential) can receive transferable World Language college credit!

There are many reasons why students want a credential that recognizes their bilingual skills. According to the 2018 study, The Seal of Biliteracy: Successes and challenges to implementation, by Kristin Davin, Amy Heineke and Linda Egnatz, Global Seal of Biliteracy Executive Director, language learners believe that a Seal of Biliteracy can provide them with:

Global Seal of Biliteracy Executive Director, Linda Egnatz, presented 111 Inaugural Global Seal of Biliteracy awards at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) annual convention held in New Orleans, Louisiana, November 16-18, 2018.