Dear County and District Superintendents, Direct-Funded Charter School Administrators, and High School Principals:

Updated Guidance for Awarding the State Seal of Biliteracy, 2022–23

The California Department of Education (CDE) will continue to award the State Seal of Biliteracy (SSB) during the 2022–23 school year. As always, local educational agencies (LEAs) may order insignias through the online Insignia Request Form located on the CDE SSB web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/er/sealofbiliteracy.asp.

The pre-pandemic requirements for earning the SSB, codified in California Education Code (EC) Section 51461 at https://tinyurl.com/wa5x8sj3, apply to 2023 graduates. The local flexibility that applied to 2021 and 2022 graduates due to the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer in place for 2023 graduates. To be eligible for the SSB, graduates must demonstrate proficiency on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress by earning "standard met" or above on the English language arts portion of the assessment in addition to meeting all other requirements.

Additional guidance for awarding the SSB during the 2022–23 school year is available on the CDE SSB Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/er/ssbfaq.asp.

If you have questions regarding the SSB, contact Gina Garcia-Smith, Education Programs Consultant, Multilingual Support Division, by phone at 916-319-0265 or by email at SEAL@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

/s/

Sarah Neville-Morgan, Deputy Superintendent
Opportunities for All Branch

SNM:ggs