Celebrating Multilingual Excellence: 108 Rdale seniors earn Minnesota Bilingual Seals

Having demonstrated their proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking in another language besides English, 108 graduating Robbinsdale Area Schools (Rdale) seniors will receive Minnesota Bilingual Seals.

Some 101 awards were given for Spanish language proficiency, along with two awards for French, two for Russian, one for Pashto, one for Somali, one for Ukrainian, and one for Vietnamese. A standout of these awards is a Robbinsdale Academy-Highview senior, who was the only Rdale student this year to earn awards in more than one language–earning a Gold Seal and a Platinum Seal in the process.

“Rdale has a long history of supporting biliteracy, and the seal honors students who have embraced the pursuit of biliteracy and equips them with evidence of their accomplishments and skills to share with colleges and universities as well as potential employers,” said Becky Brodeur, Senior Director of Teaching and Learning. “We are so proud of our Bilingual Seal earners and are thankful to the educators, caregivers, and community that have supported them on this journey.”

The Minnesota Bilingual Seals program provides a valuable opportunity for students to enhance their linguistic and cultural competence and assets. Earning an award also improves a student’s future job prospects, which can set them up for lifelong success.

Under this program, Bilingual Seals and World Language Proficiency Certificates are awarded to Minnesota high school graduating students who have met the required levels of proficiency in a world language and, for the Seals, completed the required number of English Language Arts credits for graduation.

There are three award levels, each offer differing amounts of college credit from Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. To earn a World Language Proficiency Certificate, equivalent to two semesters of college credit, students must achieve an ACTFL intermediate low and mid proficiency level in their target language. Earning three semesters of college credit, students who achieve an ACTFL intermediate high proficiency level earn a Gold Seal. A Platinum Seal is awarded to those who achieve an ACTFL advanced low or above proficiency level, which earns them four semesters of college credit.