Arizona now has a state Seal of Biliteracy thanks to Cave Creek Unified School’s World Language Programs.

Thirty (30) Cactus Shadows High School Seniors have met the criteria to receive the Cave Creek School District’s Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish or French. Cave Creek Unified School District has always advocated for multilingual graduates as a way of sending students out into the world ready to compete in our global economy. With well-articulated World Language Programs from kinder through 12th grade on all its campuses, students are able to meet the high levels of language proficiency required by the district’s criteria on a national exam that covers speaking, listening, reading and writing in another language. This is the program that prompted State Superintendent of Public Schools Diane Douglas to develop an AZ Statewide Seal (SB 1239). On May 12, 2016, after moving through the House and Senate with unanimous support, Governor Ducey signed the bill in to law. The next step will be to launch a statewide student competition for the AZ Seal of Biliteracy artwork and pull a committee together to determine what the statewide criteria will be. AZ becomes the 19th state to establish a Seal of Biliteracy.

Questions? Contact Cristina Ladas, CCUSD World Language Programs Coordinator at 480-518-4289 or cladas@ccusd93.org