Global Seal of Biliteracy Board of Advisors to Expand Internationally

Experts to Provide Strategic Guidance to Support Leader in Language Certification

Frankfort, IL— February 8, 2024 — The Global Seal of Biliteracy will expand their independent Board of Advisors with four new international members. The organization is excited to add some of the most accomplished leaders in language education and assessment from Latin America, Asia, and Europe, to its prestigious Board in order to provide strategic guidance and support efforts to verify, document, and certify language skills around the world.

“We are excited to bring together passionate individuals who offer proven leadership, expertise, and a unique understanding of the needs of bilinguals and multilinguals worldwide.,” said Linda Egnatz, Executive Director at Global Seal of Biliteracy.

International Guidance and Expansion

LinkedIn data shows that the demand for bilingual professionals has doubled in the last 5 years with an increasing number of employers seeking ways to easily verify and validate language skills. The Global Seal of Biliteracy, which has now been issued in 40 countries, meets that demand. To support their rapid international growth, the Global Seal recognizes the need for corresponding global perspectives. The expanded Board of Advisors will provide critical thinking, insights, and analysis to meet the need of multilinguals to document their language skills wherever they may live.

Global Expertise

Joining the Global Seal Board of Advisors are Dr. Cristina Banfi (Argentina), Dr. Arti Khosla (India), Dr. Katarzyna Przybycien (United Kingdom), and Dr. Jinlan Tang (China).

Dr. Cristina Banfi is Professor at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. She was Director of Languages in Education at the Ministry of Education of the City of Buenos Aires. She has taught in Argentina, the UK and the US and has taken part in research and language policy projects in Latin America and internationally. She holds an M.Phil. (University of Cambridge), a Ph.D. (University College London), both in Linguistics, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education Policy (University of Buenos Aires). Additionally, Dr. Banfi has published several books on language teaching and learning.

Dr. Arti Khosla, the award winner for “Best woman entrepreneur in conformity assessments in education” on International Women’s Day in 2021, is the Founder & CEO of the International Centre of Assessments for Excellence whose goal is to bring transformational changes in the education sector. Dr. Khosla is India’s country representative and project leader at the International Technical Committee ISO/TC 232/WG 7 and the convener of the national mirror sub-committee at Bureau of Indian Standards, Government of India. She has played a key role in developing national & international standards for conformity assessments and accreditation in higher education, school education, learning & development, vocational education, e-learning and language learning.

Dr. Katarzyna Przybycien is the CEO and co-founder of Bilingualism Matters, a social enterprise that emerged from the University of Edinburgh's Public Engagement Centre of the same name. Bilingualism Matters aims to connect research and practice and help people make better decisions about languages and multilingualism in personal and professional contexts. Her interest in bilingualism is underpinned by her personal experience of living and working with multiple languages, as well as raising a multilingual family. Katarzyna speaks Polish, English, German, and Spanish and holds an MSC from Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland and a PhD from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Dr. Jinlan Tang is the Dean and Professor of English language education in the Institute of Online Education, Researcher at Artificial Intelligence and Human Languages Lab, Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), China. Her research covers the areas of language assessment, teacher training, EFL teaching and learning in the e-learning environment. Dr. Tang is a registered expert of the International Association for Standardization (ISO) and member of the National Technical Committee for Standardization of Education Services of China.

Drs. Banfi, Khosla, Przybycien, and Tang will join current members of the Global Seal of Biliteracy Board of Directors: Dr. Michele Anciaux Aoki, Dr. Richard D. Brecht, Dr. Maria Carreira, Dr. Jacque Van Houten, Dr. Duarte M. Silva, Dr. Shuhan Wang, and Tom Welch.

The Global Seal of Biliteracy is a pioneering organization offering free certification in over 120 languages, enabling individuals to demonstrate their language proficiency worldwide. The program provides three distinct certification levels - Functional Fluency, Working Fluency, and Professional Fluency, each acknowledging different stages of language proficiency. The certificates, recognized internationally, empower recipients to showcase their language skills to educational institutions and employers across international borders. Global Seal credentials are stackable and digitally-shareable. Emphasizing the importance of multilingualism in today's global economy, the Global Seal of Biliteracy celebrates linguistic achievements and enhances opportunities in multicultural environments.

Photos (L-R)  Dr. Arti Khosla, Dr. Cristina Banfi, Dr. Katarzyna Przybycien, and Dr. Jinlan Tang

First of its Kind: Credentials for Language “Bootcamp”

Avant Assessment and Fluent Forever team up to offer the Global Seal of Biliteracy to learners that complete a new Spanish language course.

Eugene, OR and Chicago, IL— Avant Assessment, the first organization to offer STAMPTM, an online, computer-adaptive four-skill (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) language proficiency test, and Fluent Forever, a neuroscience-based language learning app, have collaborated on a first-of-its-kind offering for independent Spanish language learners enrolled in Fluent Forever’s 12-week Meet the Spanish You (MXU, where X = Spanish, French, etc.) Spanish BootcampTM experience. At the end of the 12 weeks, learners will have the opportunity to take the STAndards-based Measurement of Proficiency (STAMP) test and qualify for a Global Seal of BiliteracyTM credential. STAMP tests are remotely proctored to ensure the integrity of the test and meet the requirement for the Global Seal certification.

CEO-Tested, Learner-Approved

Avant Assessment’s CEO, David Bong, enrolled in the MXU Spanish Bootcamp to improve his Spanish language skills. He found the course to be remarkably effective and stimulating. After seeing how rapidly his Spanish abilities improved, Bong saw an opportunity to partner with Fluent Forever to offer MXU learners something unique and powerful: a chance to earn the Global Seal of Biliteracy credential. “The MXU Bootcamp experience was an amazingly effective learning experience for me. MXU is designed for learners who want to be able to use their language in a real-world way. Our Avant STAMP test measures those same real world language skills, and the Global Seal of Biliteracy provides the credential that enables learners to show the world their real language skills. We are thrilled at Avant to work with the Global Seal and both Fluent Forever on this ground-breaking collaboration.” As the Co-Founder and CEO of 21-year-old Avant Assessment and a fluent Japanese speaker, Bong is no stranger to the language learning sphere. Avant assesses language proficiency: whether you can effectively communicate in the real world.

According to Fluent Forever CEO, Gabriel Wyner, “The power of the MXU Spanish Bootcamp comes from personalization: the learners themselves influence every day’s activities and content, so that everything a learner sees is memorable and relevant to their lives. That maximizes learning speed and efficiency.’ The Bootcamps are 12 consecutive days long and are comprised of 10-minute Daily Touches with Spanish native speaker coaches, a 30-minute group masterclass that systematically breaks down the psychological barriers that prevent students from speaking a language comfortably, a 30-minute group masterclass where Fluent Forever founder Gabe Wyner and/or a guest speaker answer questions or provide advanced language learning tips, and two 40-minute sessions in small groups. On the last day, learners give a five-minute presentation in front of a group of peers.

What is the Global Seal and What Will it Mean for Language Learners?

The Global Seal of Biliteracy is a credential that celebrates language skills and expands future opportunities for its recipients. A uniform standard is used to empower awardees to be a valuable asset in multilingual environments. The Global Seal is committed to providing access to language certification to anyone that can demonstrate their bilingualism via proctored, independently certified testing with any test approved by the Global Seal’s independent Board of Advisors. The Global Seal of Biliteracy enables recipients to showcase their language skills to any school or employer across state lines and national borders with a unique serial-numbered document.

What is the Avant STAMP Test?

The Avant STAMP test measures listening, speaking, reading, and writing proficiency levels based on the U.S. ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.

Education programs from elementary to college levels around the world as well as business and government organizations use the Avant STAMP test to award competency-based credits and credentials, analyze testing data to improve instructional practices, and introduce appropriate professional development to improve proficiency outcomes. Avant STAMP language proficiency tests are available in 40 different languages.

About Avant Assessment

Co-founded in 2001 by David and Sheila Bong and Dr. Carl Falsgraf, Avant builds and delivers the STAndards-based Measurement of Proficiency or STAMP, the world’s first online and adaptive four-skill language proficiency assessment. Avant assesses real-world proficiency by pairing innovative, computer-adaptive and artificial intelligence technologies with human scoring. Avant’s assessments all align with national and state proficiency standards, including ACTFL’s proficiency guidelines. Each assessment is designed to inspire learners to grow and teachers to be more effective. For more information, visit avantassessment.com.

Avant Assessment is a family company owned by its managers, employees, and the University of Oregon Foundation.

About Fluent Forever

Inspired by his career singing opera, Fluent Forever Founder and CEO, Gabriel Wyner, set out to become fluent in the languages in which he sang. Over the course of reaching fluency in German and Italian through immersion programs, he began searching for ways to bring immersion into the home. Ultimately, he built the Fluent Forever method - a four step system grounded in neuroscience, based on principles of personalized flashcard creation and spaced repetition. His book about the method, Fluent Forever, became a national bestseller and his company’s app became the most successful crowdfunding campaign for an app in history. His company now seeks to become the world’s standard in neuroscience-based language learning platforms. For more information about Fluent Forever, visit fluent-forever.com and fluent-forever.com/bootcamp.