Natick High School

To graduating seniors and their families,

Natick Public Schools is pleased to inform you of our participation in the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy for the 2024-2025 school year. The Seal of Biliteracy is offered to any student who demonstrates proficiency in English and any other language, whether they speak or sign the language other than English at home or learned it at school in the community. 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 Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy, students must:

1. Demonstrate a high level of proficiency in English by earning a score of 472 or higher on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS,

2. Demonstrate a high level of proficiency in a world language by attaining a minimum score equivalent to Intermediate-High on an assessment approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and,

3. Satisfy all other graduation requirements.

The Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction is available to students who:

1. Earn a score of 501 or higher on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS

2. Demonstrate a proficiency level of Advanced Low or higher on the approved language assessment, and

3. Satisfy all other graduation requirements.

We will be administering the STAMP test, approved by DESE, in late winter/early spring of 2024. This assessment takes approximately 2-3 hours to complete and covers all four language skills. You will receive another correspondence with testing date(s) and other important information in the New Year. While AVANT (the company who produces the STAMP test) does add languages to the exam each year, they do not offer an exam in all languages. Please reach out if you have a question about an offered language.

In addition, students who were in Year 5 of a language last year took the STAMP test in their language of study. These students should reach out to their teacher from last year about their results if they did not receive them. Some students have earned the Seal and may want to retake all or part of the exam to earn the Seal with Distinction. Other students may want to retake all or part of the exam as another opportunity to earn the Seal.

We look forward to honoring the language expertise and diversity in our district through this initiative. If you have any further questions, please contact Denise Trubiano at dtrubiano@natickps.org.

Thank you,

Denise Trubiano

World Language Department Chair

Seal of Biliteracy Information Letter

Natick Public Schools does not discriminate in employment nor its educational programs, services, and activities based on race, creed, color, age, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, physical and intellectual differences, immigration status, homeless status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Please be aware all electronic communication to and from Natick Public Schools is public record and subject to public disclosure per Massachusetts General Law Chapter 66, Section 10.

• Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
• Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
• MGL, Ch.76, Section 5: Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 76, Section 5