At this Monday’s Board of Education meeting, QHS staff member Stephen Collins shared an exciting update: Queensbury High School is now offering the New York State Seal of Biliteracy to High School students. This seal is offered to students in recognition of their study in World Languages, one of which is English. In order to qualify for this prestigious award, students must follow a list of criteria as seen below.
A. Students wishing to receive the NYSSB must complete all requirements for graduating with a NYS Regents diploma.
B. In addition to the above minimum requirement, students wishing to receive the NYSSB must earn three (3) points from the below English criteria and three (3) points from the World Language criteria.
| Criteria for Demonstrating Proficiency in English | Point Value | Criteria for Demonstrating Proficiency in a World Language |
|
1A. Score 80 or higher on the NYS Regents Examination in English Language Arts** or English Language Learners (ELLs) score 75 or above on two Regents exams other than English**, without translation |
1 | 2A. Complete a Checkpoint C level World Language course, with a grade of 85 or higher, or a comparable score using another scoring system set by the district and approved by the Commissioner, consistent with Checkpoint C standards. |
| 1B. ELLs earn an overall score of 290 or better on the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) during 9th-12th grades. | 1 | 2B. Provide transcripts from a school in a country outside of the U.S. showing at least three years of instruction in the student’s home/native language in Grade 8 or beyond, with an equivalent grade average of B or higher. |
| 1C. Complete all 11th and 12th grade ELA courses with an average of 85 or higher or a comparable score using another scoring system set by the district and approved by the Commissioner. | 1 | 2C. For students enrolled in a Bilingual Education program, complete all required Home Language Arts (HLA) coursework with an 85 or higher or a comparable score using another scoring system set by the district and approved by the Commissioner. |
| 1D. Score at a proficient level on an approved English assessment. | 1 | 2D. Score at a proficient level on an accredited Checkpoint C World Language Assessment |
| 1E. Present a Culminating Project that meets the criteria for speaking, listening, reading, and writing established by the district’s NYS Seal of Biliteracy Committee to a panel of reviewers with proficiency in English. | 2 | 2E. Present a Culminating Project that meets the criteria for speaking, listening, reading, and writing established by the district’s NYS Seal of Biliteracy Committee and that is aligned to the NYS Checkpoint C Learning Standards to a panel of reviewers with proficiency in the target language. |
For more information and to sign up, please reach out to Stephen Collins (QHS).