Fifteen Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students earned the Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy by demonstrating proficiency in English and at least one other language before graduating high school.
The Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy is awarded each spring and fall to students in ninth through 12th grades and is sponsored by the Arkansas Foreign Language Teachers Association and the Arkansas Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. The Arkansas Department of Education officially endorsed the seal in June 2018.
There were 456 high school students from 27 Arkansas school districts and charter, private or virtual schools and home schoolers who earned the recognition in the spring.
ASMSA students who earned recognition this spring were:
- Shawn Chen, a junior from Little Rock, Chinese;
- Alec Gatewood, a senior from Smackover, French;
- Janie Gentry, a senior from Vilonia, Spanish;
- Angelina Guevara, a senior from Fort Smith, Spanish;
- William Hay, a senior from Bradford, French;
- Jacob Holmes, a senior from Rector, Spanish and Japanese;
- Yibing Hu, a senior from Jonesboro, French and Japanese;
- Brayden Ireland, a senior from Harrison, French;
- Catherine Kwon, a senior from Little Rock, Korean;
- Arlene Loaeza, a senior from Dardanelle, Spanish;
- Aly Navarro, a senior from Hot Springs, Spanish;
- Kaitlyn Pearson, a senior from Berryvile, French;
- Aishani Singh, a senior from Hot Springs, Hindi;
- Nina Thomas, a senior from Hot Springs, Spanish; and
- Kenny Ventress, a senior from Benton, Spanish and German.
The test for the seal are conducted in the fall and spring. Three ASMSA students earned certificates for three languages during the 2020-21 academic year. Holmes qualified for French in the fall in addition to Spanish and Japanese this spring. Hu certified in Chinese in the fall and French and Japanese in the spring. Ventress qualified for the seal in French in the fall and Spanish and German this spring.
Twenty-two seniors — about a quarter of the Class of 2021 — earned at least one certification.
Two others earned the seal for two languages — one each in the fall and spring semesters. Kwon earned the seal for Chinese in the fall and Korean in the spring. Thomas certified for German in the fall and Spanish in the spring.
Students who apply for the Seal of Biliteracy must complete an application in which they submit evidence of their proficiency in both languages. Students can use their seal of recognition on college and job applications to show future employers and admissions offices that they are proficient in two or more languages. The seal is notional recognized. As of 2019, 35 states have an official Seal of Biliteracy and 12 more were on their way to having their own seal, according to information from the Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy Committee.
ASMSA’s efforts to help the students earn their seal were led by French instructor Bryan Adams. He said the recognition shows the dedication and hard work the students placed in the process.
“As an educational tool, it gives students even more of an incentive for not just getting their feet we in a language by encouraging them to dig deep into levels of proficiency,” he said. “Attaining it is clear evidence that the individual is able to navigate capably in both English and the other tested language.
“It would generally be agreed that it would take about four years of classroom study before a student might even consider testing for the biliteracy exam. For French here at ASMSA, we have had students do it in only one year of study. That credit does not go to me, though! The student I have in mid put in a great deal of work.”
For more information on the program, visit arbiliteracy.org.