A state inhabited by speakers of a diverse range of foreign languages, Virginia is an excellent place to find careers and education in second languages. Through the Virginia Seal of Biliteracy, high school students studying a world language are offered a promising opportunity to become certified as biliterate in that language by their high school graduation. This option is beneficial for students with both a passion for learning a second language as well as an interest in taking their language abilities with them as they enter the workforce or pursue higher education. The path to receiving the seal, however, is not entirely straightforward, and it does not look the same for every learner, but the benefits of biliteracy can be seen in everyone who takes the exam.
One way students can attain the seal is through taking an exam approved by the Virginia Department of Education or by scoring at or above a three on an AP world language exam. In Loudoun County, the most popular option among those seeking out the Seal of Biliteracy is the Credit Through Testing, or CTT, exam. CTT exams are administered during the fall semester and are offered in a variety of languages. High schoolers of any grade are able to take the exam in order to receive their seal by graduation. Junior Coco Mercker, who took the French CTT exam in December, is pursuing the seal in order to demonstrate her growth as a language learner. “I wanted a real form of achievement to show how much I’ve learned throughout my years in French,” Mercker expressed. Though currently enrolled in dual enrollment French 5 through NOVA Community College, Mercker is not yet finished with her French education, and she still plans to take AP French next year as a senior. The Seal of Biliteracy is just one extra step in proving that her discipline in the language has already begun to pay off.
The structure of the CTT exams is a bit different than the average SOL or AP exam. Students participating in the CTT are placed in classrooms with other students taking the exam, although they are not separated by language. With this system, students receiving the Spanish exam, for example, will be tested in the same room as students taking an exam in German or Mandarin. The same procedure goes for unconventional world languages that might require different testing equipment and accommodations. The American Sign Language exam, despite not relying on a written or oral examination, still has students placed in mixed classrooms. Joey Harar, who is now a fourth year ASL student, recalls taking the exam amongst students seeking out the seal for various different languages, but felt the testing environment was “not distracting.” The ASL CTT exam is composed of two videos, where the student has to comprehend the prompt being signed, then prepare a thorough response to the given prompt, and finally record a video of their signed response, which they submit online.
The format of the ASL exam differs from most—the vast majority of the language exams are writing heavy. Mercker’s experience taking the French exam consisted of two intensive essays that required her to utilize both her reading and writing abilities in order to fully comprehend the essay prompts and respond in a sufficient manner. “The reading skills came in by way of just reading the prompt, because the prompt was really long, and one of the reasons that people don’t pass is because they read the prompt wrong or they just don’t understand,” Mercker shared. Despite the mastery needed for the exam, Mercker found that much of what would provide her success lay in the fundamentals she learned during her five years as a French scholar and the strong foundation she developed in her early years as a language learner. Mercker’s philosophy heading into the exam was that “you either know the language or you don’t.” There isn’t just one cut-and-dry way to study for the exams. Fellow junior Mai Sylvester took the Spanish exam, though her preparation largely consisted of diligently visiting online study guides and speaking Spanish with another classmate also preparing for the CTT. “Speaking Spanish to each other helped us retain useful vocabulary,” Sylvester commented. Conversely, Harar, who lacked the need to memorize major spoken or written aspects of a language for his exam, focused mainly on the core signs of ASL, ones that he and other signers refer to as “survival signs.” “So there’s the WH signs, which are “why”, “when”, “how” and “what”, and you want to look for those at the end of a sentence,” Harar explained, “because that’ll decide what kind of question that they’re asking or how they want you to respond to it.” Beyond that, Harar credits his ASL teacher, Ms. Cheri Martinez, for providing him with the essential tools to his success in the CTT exam. “Ms. Martinez does a great job at trying to get a big range of stuff that the CTT might go for. Just, you know, your family, school, stuff like that. I mean, there’s really no way to prepare besides just paying attention in class and just trying to remember things that your teachers taught you,” Harar shared.
The hard work demonstrated by the students who took the CTT exams will certainly not go unnoticed by their peers and teachers in their language classes, but for the most part, the exam itself is just the beginning of their path towards mastering a second language. Besides serving as an impressive accolade on resumes and college applications, the Seal of Biliteracy proves that these students are more than qualified for careers and callings that require knowing a second language. For some, the seal could enable them to pursue jobs as an interpreter or translator, or allow them to more easily live, work, and learn in a foreign country. Though Sylvester does not currently plan to take her Spanish education above the high school level, she still sees its potential in her career choice down the road: “I want to be a therapist, and I think it could also be helpful to patients who speak Spanish as well.” For others, the seal serves as a measure of their success in a second language, and, above all else, something to be proud of. Mercker is especially looking forward to receiving her seal, declaring, “It’s just a cool thing to have, to say that you’re biliterate…It’s something that I think is really cool to just have in your toolbox.”
Beyond the prestige of the seal, being able to successfully communicate in a language other than one’s native tongue is a growing necessity in the ever-changing, globally-minded world of today. Speaking and understanding a second language can be beneficial even in the most unexpected of circumstances. At his previous job at Velocity Wings, Harar encountered deaf customers who sign in ASL. By using his education in sign language to communicate with customers, Harar was given the opportunity to take his ASL knowledge beyond the classroom into everyday application. “Whenever you’re out, you’re going to run into people who sign ASL, and it’s just good to have it,” Harar reasoned. The Seal of Biliteracy can provide similar opportunities to connect with others, all made possible through the experience of dedicating oneself to a second language.