Seal of Biliteracy

MHHS partners with the San Joaquin County Office of Education and the State of California to offer the "Seal of Biliteracy" as a special recognition on our seniors' diplomas.

Listed below are the criteria for receiving this seal on your diploma:

Required Criteria

(Primary language is English)

Each of these three academic requirements shall be fulfilled:

1. Students must have completed all English-language arts (ELA) requirements for graduation with an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or above in those classes. CR (credit only) grade marks will not be held against a student in their GPA. These marks will count towards the total year requirement.

2. Students must have passed the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) in ELA (administered in grade eleven), or any successor test, administered in grade eleven, at or above the “standard met” achievement level.

*This requirement has been waived for the class of 2021.

3. Students must demonstrate proficiency in one or more languages other than English through one of the following methods:

a) Pass a foreign language Advanced Placement (AP) exam, including American Sign Language with a score of three or higher.

b) Pass an International Baccalaureate (IB) examination with a score of four or higher.

c) Pass the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) II foreign language exam with a score of 600 or higher.

d) Pass the National Examinations in World Languages (NEWL) proficient exam with a score of three or higher.

e) Successfully complete a MHHS approved four-year high school course of study in a foreign language and attain an overall grade point average of 3.0 or above in that course of study. CR (credit only) grade marks will not be held against a student in their GPA. These marks will count towards the total year requirement.

Required Criteria

(Primary language other than English)

If the primary language of a pupil is other than English, the student shall also meet the following academic requirements:

1. Attain the level demonstrating English language proficiency on the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC), or any successor English language proficiency assessment, in transitional kindergarten or kindergarten through grade twelve, inclusive.

2. Meet the academic requirements 1, 2, and 3 as stated above in Section I.

Please know that not all languages other than English qualify for this seal. The languages are restricted to those that can be tested through AP or the SAT subject tests.