The South Carolina Seal of Biliteracy is recognized by the Department of World Languages and Cultures and is used to place students in the appropriate level language course. It has the benefit of allowing students to graduate sooner and save money – since students do not need to enroll in one or more lower-level courses to meet their language requirement – and enables them to complete a minor or even second major in the language, building on skills acquired in high school.
The SC Seal of Biliteracy is a nationally recognized credential granted by the South Carolina Department of Education certifying a students’ high proficiency in English and at least one other world language. The Seal is earned when the student has attained a minimum of a 3.0 ELA GPA and at least an intermediate mid-level of proficiency in a language other than English. The latter is assessed in their Junior and Senior year of high school through state approved nationally recognized proficiency-based assessment, such as the ACTFL Assessment of Performance towards Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) or the AVANT Standards-Based Measurement of Proficiency (STAMP 4S), among others.
SC Seal of Biliteracy Proficiency Score can be used in lieu of Winthrop’s French, German or Spanish Placement Exam for initial placement in a language class. Students with the following proficiency can be placed in the following classes:
|
Seal of Biliteracy Score* |
Initial Placement |
|
Bronze- Intermediate Mid |
201- level |
|
Silver- Intermediate High |
202 - level |
|
Gold- Advanced Low |
250 - level |
*These proficiency levels are based on ACTFL guidelines, and are determined by the student’s lowest score received in all 4 skills (ex: if a student received an Intermediate High in reading, writing and listening but an Intermediate Mid in speaking- the student has earned the Bronze Seal)
After initial placement based on the SC Seal of Biliteracy, students who complete the appropriate Winthrop course* with a grade of “B” or higher may obtain credit for the courses beneath it in the sequence — French, German, or Spanish 101, 102, 201, 202): a student with the Bronze Seal who earns a B in 201, for instance, gets credit for 101 and 102 as well as 201, and so on. Credit will not be given for courses for which university credit has been awarded previously. No grade is assigned to this credit.
* Note that placement in and of itself does earn college credits.
