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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning education.
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| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | | Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section |
| 5 | | 2-3.159 as follows:
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| 6 | | (105 ILCS 5/2-3.159) |
| 7 | | Sec. 2-3.159. State Seal of Biliteracy. |
| 8 | | (a) In this Section, "foreign language" means any language |
| 9 | | other than English, including all modern languages, Latin, |
| 10 | | American Sign Language, Native American languages, and native |
| 11 | | languages. |
| 12 | | (b) The State Seal of Biliteracy program is established to |
| 13 | | recognize public and non-public high school graduates who have |
| 14 | | attained a high level of proficiency in one or more languages |
| 15 | | in addition to English. The State Seal of Biliteracy shall be |
| 16 | | awarded beginning with the 2014-2015 school year. School |
| 17 | | district and non-public school participation in this program is |
| 18 | | voluntary. |
| 19 | | (c) The purposes of the State Seal of Biliteracy are as |
| 20 | | follows: |
| 21 | | (1) To encourage pupils to study languages. |
| 22 | | (2) To certify attainment of biliteracy. |
| 23 | | (3) To provide employers with a method of identifying |
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| 1 | | people with language and biliteracy skills. |
| 2 | | (4) To provide universities with an additional method |
| 3 | | to recognize applicants seeking admission. |
| 4 | | (5) To prepare pupils with 21st century skills. |
| 5 | | (6) To recognize the value of foreign language and |
| 6 | | native language instruction in public and non-public |
| 7 | | schools. |
| 8 | | (7) To strengthen intergroup relationships, affirm the |
| 9 | | value of diversity, and honor the multiple cultures and |
| 10 | | languages of a community. |
| 11 | | (d) The State Seal of Biliteracy certifies attainment of a |
| 12 | | high
level of proficiency, sufficient for meaningful use in |
| 13 | | college and a career, by a graduating public or non-public high |
| 14 | | school pupil in one or more
languages in addition to English. |
| 15 | | (e) The State Board of Education shall adopt such rules as |
| 16 | | may be necessary to establish the criteria that pupils must |
| 17 | | achieve to earn a State Seal of Biliteracy, which may include |
| 18 | | without limitation attainment of units of credit in English |
| 19 | | language arts and languages other than English and passage of |
| 20 | | such assessments of foreign language proficiency as may be |
| 21 | | approved by the State Board of Education for this purpose. |
| 22 | | These rules shall ensure that the criteria that pupils must |
| 23 | | achieve to earn a State Seal of Biliteracy meet the course |
| 24 | | credit criteria established under subsection (i) of this |
| 25 | | Section. |
| 26 | | (f) The State Board of Education shall do both of the |
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| 1 | | following: |
| 2 | | (1) Prepare and deliver to participating school |
| 3 | | districts and non-public schools an appropriate mechanism |
| 4 | | for designating the State Seal of Biliteracy on the diploma |
| 5 | | and transcript of the pupil indicating that the pupil has |
| 6 | | been awarded a State Seal of Biliteracy by the State Board |
| 7 | | of Education. |
| 8 | | (2) Provide other information the State Board of |
| 9 | | Education deems necessary for school districts and |
| 10 | | non-public schools to successfully participate in the |
| 11 | | program. |
| 12 | | (g) A school district or non-public school that |
| 13 | | participates in the program under this
Section shall do both of |
| 14 | | the following: |
| 15 | | (1) Maintain appropriate records in order to identify |
| 16 | | pupils who have earned a State Seal of Biliteracy. |
| 17 | | (2) Make the appropriate designation on the diploma and |
| 18 | | transcript of each pupil who earns a State Seal of |
| 19 | | Biliteracy. |
| 20 | | (h) No fee shall be charged to a pupil to receive the |
| 21 | | designation pursuant to this Section. Notwithstanding this |
| 22 | | prohibition, costs may be incurred by the pupil in |
| 23 | | demonstrating proficiency, including without limitation any |
| 24 | | assessments required under subsection (e) of this Section.
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| 25 | | (i) For admissions purposes, each public university in this |
| 26 | | State shall accept the State Seal of Biliteracy as equivalent |
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| 1 | | to 2 years of foreign language coursework taken during high |
| 2 | | school if a student's high school transcript indicates that he |
| 3 | | or she will be receiving or has received the State Seal of |
| 4 | | Biliteracy. |
| 5 | | (j) Each public community college and public university in |
| 6 | | this State shall establish criteria to translate a State Seal |
| 7 | | of Biliteracy into course credit based on foreign language |
| 8 | | course equivalencies identified by the community college's or |
| 9 | | university's faculty and staff and, upon request from an |
| 10 | | enrolled student, the community college or university shall |
| 11 | | award foreign language course credit to a student who has |
| 12 | | received a State Seal of Biliteracy. Students enrolled in a |
| 13 | | public community college or public university who have received |
| 14 | | a State Seal of Biliteracy must request course credit for their |
| 15 | | seal within 3 academic years after graduating from high school. |
| 16 | | (Source: P.A. 98-560, eff. 8-27-13; 98-756, eff. 7-16-14; |
| 17 | | 99-600, eff. 1-1-17.)
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