Dear Parents/Guardians:

We are pleased to inform you of Millbury Public School’s participation in the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy for the 2025-2026 School Year. The Seal of Biliteracy is awarded to any student who demonstrates proficiency in English and any other language, whether they speak the non-English language at home or learned it at school or in the community.  It promotes biliteracy as an asset and rewards students’ hard work in becoming bilingual and bi-literate. The Seal of Biliteracy will take the form of a seal placed on their transcript/diploma. 

The State Seal of Biliteracy aims to:

1. Encourage students to study and master languages;

2. Certify attainment of biliteracy skills;

3. Recognize the value of language diversity;

4. Provide employers with a method of identifying people with language and biliteracy skills;

5. Provide universities with a method to recognize and give credit to applicants for attainment of high-level skills in languages;

6. Prepare students with skills that will benefit them in the labor market and the global society; and

7. Strengthen intergroup communication and honor the multiple cultures and languages in a community.

In order to earn the Seal of Biliteracy, students must:

1. Demonstrate a high level of proficiency in English by satisfying one of the following:

   1. Earn a score of 240 or higher on the Grade 10 Legacy ELA MCAS (472 on Next-Gen MCAS)
       Or

   2. Earn a score of 220 or higher on the Grade 10 Legacy ELA MCAS (455 on Next-Gen MCAS) and complete an Educational Proficiency Plan

Or

1. Earn a score of 4.2 Overall with a 3.9 Literacy score on the ACCESS for ELLs

1.  Demonstrate a high level of proficiency in a world language through the following:

   1. Attaining a minimum score equivalent to Intermediate-High on a state-approved assessment (AAPPL).
       

We will be administering the AAPPL (ACTFL Assessment of Performance Toward Proficiency in Languages) on  January 30, 2026  and will allow for retakes following the 90-day wait period after initial administration***.  All testing will take place during the school day. Students seeking to earn the Seal must attain the minimum score on the AAPPL prior to their graduation date. The languages that are available for testing through AAPPL are French, Spanish, Portuguese,  Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), German,  Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Russian. 

We look forward to honoring the language expertise and diversity in our district through this initiative. If your child is interested in participating in this assessment to determine their eligibility for the SEAL, or you would like to know more about the program, please reach out to us by January 12, 2026..  Google forms will be sent to your child’s school email address. If interested in taking advantage of this opportunity,  please have them fill out the link at the end of this letter.

More information about the Seal of Biliteracy can be obtained at https://sealofbiliteracyma.org

Sincerely,

Stephanie DeLucia, Director of Guidance for Millbury Public Schools (sdelucia@millburyschools.org)

Rebecca Cunha, World Language Department Head (rcunha@millburyschools.org)

Elizabeth Boutiette, Director of Curriculum Instruction and Assessment for Millbury Public Schools (eboutiette@millburyschools.org)