Nearly 900 high school students earned recognition for their mastery of English, and one additional world language
While the pandemic may have forced all students in Riverside County into distance learning, 884 high school students seized the opportunity to focus on becoming citizens of the world by mastering a world language and earning the Riverside County Seal of Multiliteracy.
The Seal of Multiliteracy is intended to emphasize the value of knowing multiple languages, contribute to global understanding, encourage the learning of all languages, and connect with community efforts to teach languages and culture in schools and communities.
Now in its eighth year, the Riverside County Seal of Multiliteracy is an award given by the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE), in partnership with participating districts, in recognition of high levels of attained proficiency in English and at least one other world language before their high school graduation. Each participating district will choose how to recognize students who have earned the Riverside County Seal of Multiliteracy.
Students stand to benefit from the Seal of Multiliteracy by the presence of the seal on the transcripts of graduating seniors that not only verifies a high level of proficiency in a second language, but serves as another accomplishment to include in college applications. Additionally, the seal attests to a highly marketable skill that is sought-after by many employers.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY SEAL OF MULTILITERACY BY THE NUMBERS
- 884 – Record number of students who earned the Seal of Multiliteracy in 2020
- 215 – Number of students from Corona-Norco USD that earned the Seal of Multiliteracy—the most of any school in Riverside County
- 152 – Number of students still eligible for retroactive award with SAT II results
- 77 – Number of students from Citrus Hill High School in Val Verde USD that earned the Seal of Multiliteracy in 2020—the most of any school in Riverside County
- 30 – Number of participating Riverside County high schools with students who earned the Seal of Multiliteracy in 2020
- 21 – Number of students who earned the Seal of Multiliteracy in its first year (2013)
- 12 – Number of participating districts in Riverside County with students who earned the Seal of Multiliteracy in 2020:
- Banning USD (16)
- Beaumont USD (51)
- Coachella Valley USD (56)
- Corona-Norco USD (213)
- Hemet USD (58)
- Lake Elsinore USD (63)
- Moreno Valley USD (115)
- Palm Springs USD (29)
- Riverside USD (43)
- San Jacinto USD (18)
- Temecula Valley USD (72)
- Val Verde USD (150)
- 8 – Number of years that Riverside County has offered the Seal of Multiliteracy to students
- 6 – Number of different languages in which students were recognized for fluency (English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, Korean)
Students from participating districts are eligible to receive the Seal of Multiliteracy in one of following ways:
- By passing a foreign language AP (Advanced Placement) exam, with a score of “3” or higher, or
- Pass a foreign language IB (International Baccalaureate) exam with a score of “4” or higher, or
- Pass a foreign language SAT II exam with a score of “600” or higher, or
- Submit a language autobiography and pass an on-demand assessment
Due to the pandemic, not all scheduled sessions of the SAT II test were offered—another pathway to meeting the requirements to earn the Seal of Multiliteracy. Those students can retroactively receive their award if test results are submitted by mid-March of 2021—potentially bringing the total recipients in Riverside County beyond 1,000.