Congratulations to these 26 DHS Spanish 4 students who recently earned the Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy for demonstrating proficiency in English and Spanish by high school graduation. These outstanding students are 26 of 716 Arkansas students from around the state who have earned this distinction. De Queen High School is one of 95 schools in the state that give their students an opportunity to earn this distinction. A student earns the Seal by demonstrating proficiency in English and another language. English proficiency can be demonstrated through ACT, Aspire, or Elpa scores and the Spanish proficiency is demonstrated through a national exam for Spanish in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
The Seal of Biliteracy is now recognized in 49 states and Washington D.C. According to the
official website, “the Seal of Biliteracy encourages students to pursue biliteracy, honors the skills our students attain, and can be evidence of skills that are attractive to future employers, the military, and college admissions offices.” Since the 2017 pilot year in Arkansas, a total of 4,365 students from 95 high schools around the state have attained this certification across 24 languages other than English, which is a reflection of the growing diversity in our state.
“I want our community to know that just because a student may have some background in
speaking Spanish, that does not mean he or she is proficient in the language. The majority of our students had no formal education in Spanish until entering our program in the 9th grade. Mrs. Esther Hendershot and I will continue to work hard to grow our program and help our students become bilingual which will be a valuable asset in the job market. I want to thank our administration for always being so supportive of our program and for recognizing the value of being bilingual, especially here in Arkansas. We are truly grateful and are so proud of all of our students.” - Jane Moore, HS Spanish Teacher, Levels II, III, and IV.