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@ovaysber
2 answers, 1 vote
 • 2 years ago •
Admissions Advice

Does Seal of Biliteracy offered through local USD offer any weight /advantage on college app?

My son is considering going through LAUSD testing and passing the state, school, or school district’s criteria for the Seal of Biliteracy that will be displayed as official seal on his HS transcript. However, before going through the lengthy process of satisfying LAUSD criteria and testing, I am wondering if this might be helpful for his college app. He is planning to major in STEM area (either comp sci or physics) and I am considering advising him to direct his energy somewhere as it's not even going to be visible until end of senior year which will come after college application due dates.

He actually did a lot of work in earning a 'pathway to seal of bi-literacy' designation in middle school and now that he is fluent in Russian (aside from completing his HS foreign language courses in Spanish), he is getting ready to complete the body of work/testing needed to get the actual seal on his HS diploma

So, aside from language not being the most relevant skill for STEM, the seal will not be "earned" until after the opportunity to take advantage of it (college app) has passed. Is it worth it?

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@kat.in.the.shat
94 answers, 163 votes
 • 2 years ago

Is this the STAMP seal for biliteracy? He should absolutely take it, especially if his school offers it for free. There's no time constraint (most people take a couple of hours) and he should get exempt from classes he has while taking it. He can take it for both Spanish and Russian. The certification doesn't have that much weight, but it is a pretty cool opportunity. It doesn't seem the most relevant to STEM, but for any job, having proof of proficiency in more than one language sets you apart from other candidates. He shouldn't have to study for Russian if he's fluent, and probably not much for Spanish. (Bi)literacy is far less advanced than fluency in the language. Even if he fails, he can retake it, but it sounds like he's quite possibly ready.

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