Department of World Langauges and Cultures

"Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere." ~Chinese Proverb

The State Seal of Biliteracy is an award given to graduating high school students, regardless of diploma type, that have attained proficiency in English and one or more languages. We are pleased to offer the Seal of Biliteracy to students who graduate from Tuscarora. They receive the Seal on their diploma upon graduation and are recognized at the Senior Awards Ceremony and at graduation. 

How do I Earn It?

Take a test to demonstrate your proficiency in your language. Have you already taken a test? Check the "VDOE Acceptable Evidence" page (link below) to see if your results qualify you. If you have not taken a test, sign up for the AAPPL test offered at THS to earn the results.

Spring Registration Timeline for the AAPPL test (used for the Seal of Biliteracy):

Test Registration Open: Now - Feb. 23, 2024. $15 to Ms. Paz in L212.

Test Date: March 7, 2024

The ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Language® (AAPPL) is offered for the following languages: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portugues, Russian and Spanish. This state-approved, online assessment can be used as evidence for the Seal of Biliteracy.

If your language is not listed above, check other testing options at the VDOE Acceptable Evidence link below as you may organize your own test and produce the results to Ms. Paz in L212 for verification.

Forms and Information:

AAPPL Practice Demo Test

LCPS Seal of Biliteracy Application

LCPS Seal of Biliteracy Website 

VDOE Seal of Biliteracy Website & Acceptable Evidence

WHAT IS CREDIT THROUGH TESTING? Credit Through Testing is DIFFERENT from the Seal of Biliteracy. Credit through Testing is to allow for students to earn high school credits on their transcript without being enrolled in the class. This test is NOT meant for placement into a course, rather, it awards high school transcript credit to students, especially for languages that may not be offered at the school in some cases or who may place into a higher level but still want credit for levels 1&2 (common for Spanish-speaking students). The CTT exam (different than the AAPPL) requires a student to read and comprehend exam instructions and writing prompts in the first language. The student must be able to write two, well-developed essays in the exam language, each consisting of at least three cohesive paragraphs on two topics. Scoring a passing grade on this test can serve as evidence to qualify the student to be eligible for the Seal of Biliteracy upon graduation in addition to earning one, two, or three credits on their high school transcript. Some students who have already taken levels 1 and 2 may opt to take this test even though they will not get credit on their transcript so that they can use the results to earn the Seal of Biliteracy award on their diploma their senior year.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE: Seniors whose first language is not English and can read/write at an intermediate level or higher in the native language. They do not already have credit from level 1 and 2 on their transcript. Also, students who may already have level 1/2 on their transcript can take this test to qualify to receive the Seal of Biliteracy.

LANGUAGES CURRENTLY OFFERED: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese/Mandarin, Farsi, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog/Filipino, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, and Vietnamese. 

WHEN IS THE TEST: The CTT test for the 2023-2023 school year will be held at THS on Monday, Oct. 30th, 2023 from 1:00-3:00pm. Students may arrive to sign in beginning at 12:30am. It will be offered at other schools on Oct. 31st, Nov. 8th, and Nov. 9th. (See LCPS WL county webpage for information on other test sites). There is no make-up if the student misses these dates. There is no spring test.

HOW TO GET THIS CREDIT: Students must self-register to take this test via LARS. Access this by opening LCPSGo, then Student Opportunities. This must be done by the fall deadline published on the LCPS WL county webpage. Upon registration, a test slip will be created for the student and emailed to them. They will need proper identification when they arrive at the testing location for sign in. 

Contact a THS World Language teacher with any questions if your student is enrolled at THS and has questions about registering for this test.

Tuscarora World Language National Honor Society Inductions for the 2023/2024 school year took place on Friday, March 15th, 2024 from approximately 11:00-11:40 a.m. in the THS Auditorium. Please join our WL faculty and current WL NHS students in welcoming our new inductees. 

This event was broadcast through a livestream during the ceremony and a video recording is available here if you were unable to view in person.