May 30, 2020
Summit Christian Academy (SCA) is proud to announce that six 2020 graduating seniors have recently earned the Missouri Seal of Biliteracy award, in conjunction with the Missouri Department of Education.
For the first year, SCA is offering the Seal of Biliteracy award to World Language seniors and senior international students who have attained proficiency in a second language and demonstrated sociocultural competence. The Seal of Biliteracy promotes active participation in a global society by incentivizing, recognizing and celebrating the acquisition of biliteracy skills and sociocultural awareness.
Students had to submit an application for the seal and take an approved language assessment test to determine if they qualified for the Seal of Biliteracy or the Distinguished Seal of Biliteracy. A student must also score 18 or higher on the ACT Reading section for the Seal of Biliteracy- and for the Distinguished Seal of Biliteracy they must score 21 or higher. Further, students must document socio cultural activities, research, projects, and experiences.
SCA will note this achievement by a statement on the student’s transcript, special recognition with a sealed certificate, a silver and royal blue cord to wear during graduation, and up to 14 free college credit hours added to the student’s college transcript.
“I am thrilled to award our students for their hard work in language acquisition and for their cultural awareness and abilities,” said SCA International Program Director and Seal of Biliteracy Coordinator Kathy Tharp. “At SCA, we value and celebrate the beauty of each culture and the people God has created and desire to encourage our students to explore this beauty through relationships and language.” Academic Dean Dr. Gill added, “As our students’ world continues expanding through technology, we are committed to helping them think globally. Offering three foreign languages is part of this process. This year was a pilot year for the Seal of Biliteracy Program, and we expect our recipient numbers to continue to grow in the future.”
SCA International students who received the Seal of Biliteracy in English are: Rachel Lee (South Korea) and Christopher Tsamas (France). International students who received the Distinguished Seal of Biliteracy in English are: Isabelle Dalazen (Brazil), Josiah Kim (South Korea), and Teresa Xiong (China). American World Language student Avery Lake received the Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish.
