To the Families of Graduating Seniors:
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The Mendon-Upton Regional School District is pleased to announce that once again, it is partnering with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to offer the State Seal of Biliteracy as a means to recognize high school graduates who attain high functional and academic levels of proficiency in English and a foreign language. Specifically, proficiency means that students can function in both languages in authentic, real-life situations. The Seal of Biliteracy is a special state insignia that will be affixed to the graduate's diploma. As this is a relatively new statewide program, the intent of the the Seal of Biliteracy is the following: 

• To formally certify attainment of biliteracy skills;
• To recognize the value of language diversity;
• To provide universities with a method to recognize and give credit to applicants for the attainment of high skills in languages; 
• To prepare students with skills that will benefit them in the labor market and the global society;
• To provide employers with a method of identifying people with language and biliteracy skills; and
• To strengthen intergroup communication and honor the multiple cultures and languages in a community.

The Seal of Biliteracy is available to graduating seniors who have met appropriate standards for both proficiency in English and a second language. These may be students who have committed several years to study to a second language or those who live in a home where English is not the primary language, and they have been speaking the second language at an advanced level for years.  The criteria for eligibility for the State Seal of Biliteracy is the following:

• For English Proficiency:  Achievement of a score of 240 or higher (a rating of Proficient or Advanced) on the Grade 10 MCAS English Language Arts test.
• For Foreign Language Proficiency:  Achievement of a score of 4 or 5 on any Advanced Placement (AP) foreign language exam taken in the spring of 2019 or earlier, or a score of I-5 (Intermediate-High) or higher on the Assessment of Performance Toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) test. 

As many students have not taken an AP exam in a foreign language, Nipmuc will be offering no-cost administrations of the AAPPL test during the second semester.  The AAPPL is an online exam that measures a student's proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in the foreign language. (For more information on the test, please click here.)  Please keep in mind that the AAPPL threshold score of I-5 is a fairly high benchmark of proficiency, and only students with significant years/levels of study or experience with the target language should access this testing opportunity.

If you or your student are interested in accessing the AAPPL test to determine eligibility for the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy, please fill out the form form here and we will contact you shortly thereafter with information and instructions regarding testing provisions for interested students.


Joseph P. Maruszczak, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools  
​Mendon-Upton Regional School District
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