The Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy provides colleges, universities, employers, and community organizations with a consistent statewide indicator of advanced multilingual skills. Although participating school districts and charter schools award the Seal, all recipients must satisfy criteria established by the Department.
Recognizing the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy can support college placement and credit, recruitment and hiring, scholarships, and admission to programs that value multilingualism. It also helps institutions recognize the linguistic skills students and graduates bring to their campuses, workplaces, and communities.
The Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy is an official designation awarded at graduation by participating Massachusetts school districts and charter schools. The award is recorded on the graduate's high school transcript, including the language or languages in which it was earned.
The Seal recognizes graduates who meet all graduation requirements and demonstrate a high level of proficiency in English and at least one additional language. Graduates may earn either the State Seal of Biliteracy or the State Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction, which recognizes a higher level of proficiency. They may earn the award in multiple languages, including signed languages such as American Sign Language.
All recipients satisfy statewide criteria established by the Department, regardless of which participating school district or charter school awards the Seal.
The State Seal of Biliteracy signifies that a graduate has demonstrated high levels of proficiency in English and at least one additional language through Department-approved assessments.
The two award levels communicate different levels of demonstrated proficiency:
A graduate may earn different award levels in different languages.
The English criteria are anchored to the performance standards for the Grade 10 English Language Arts ELA Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System MCAS. Additional approved English assessments measure proficiency at a comparable level.
For each language other than English, recipients of the State Seal of Biliteracy demonstrate proficiency at or above Intermediate High on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. Recipients of the State Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction demonstrate proficiency at or above Advanced Low.
The Department approves the assessments and qualifying scores used statewide. This provides colleges, employers, and community organizations with a consistent and reliable indicator of graduates' demonstrated language proficiency.
Understanding the Language Skills Represented by the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy
The Department establishes the statewide criteria for the State Seal of Biliteracy and the State Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction. It also approves the assessments and qualifying scores used to demonstrate proficiency. The same criteria apply to recipients throughout Massachusetts.
Participation is voluntary for school districts and charter schools. Participating Local Educational Agencies LEAs administer the program locally, provide students with access to approved assessments, review student results, determine which students have satisfied the criteria, and award the Seal at graduation.
The Department maintains the statewide program through regulations, guidance, approved assessment lists, the official insignia, and annual reporting. The school district or charter school that awarded the Seal maintains the graduate's records, and the high school transcript serves as the official documentation of the award. Questions about an individual graduate's award should be directed to the issuing school district or charter school.
The State Seal of Biliteracy helps colleges, employers, and community organizations identify graduates with demonstrated multilingual proficiency. Incorporating the Seal of Biliteracy into institutional policies and practices can support more informed decisions, strengthen recruitment, and connect multilingual individuals with opportunities where their skills are valuable.
Colleges and universities can use the Seal of Biliteracy to:
Institutions are encouraged to establish and publish clear policies for both the Seal of Biliteracy and the Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction. Admissions, registrar, advising, and academic department staff should understand how students submit their transcripts and access available placement, credit, or program opportunities.
The Seal helps employers identify candidates who have demonstrated proficiency in English and at least one additional language. This can strengthen recruitment and hiring for positions that benefit from multilingual communication and help employers build workforce capacity to serve linguistically diverse customers, clients, and communities.
Employers may consider the Seal in recruitment, hiring, personnel records, bilingual compensation policies, professional development, and advancement opportunities. When a position requires specialized terminology or interpreting or translation skills, employers may supplement the Seal with an appropriate job-specific assessment.
The Seal can help community organizations and scholarship providers identify multilingual individuals whose skills and experiences align with their missions and programs. Organizations may consider the Seal when awarding scholarships, selecting program participants, recruiting volunteers or community leaders, and developing mentorship or service opportunities that draw upon multilingual skills.
Last Updated: September 14, 2026