Windsor schools to recognize two-language fluency
By KERRY BENEFIELD
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Windsor Unified School District is the first on the North Coast to adopt a program that will honor graduating seniors for reaching benchmarks of literacy in at least two languages.
Windsor is one of 33 school districts in the state recognized by the California Department of Education this month for adopting standards to recognize spoken, written and cultural expertise in two languages.
“The message of ‘English is enough’ is not really accurate,” said Shelly Spiegel-Coleman, executive director of Californians Together, an statewide advocacy group for English language learners. The group spearheaded the push for recognition of biliteracy — a term coined to acknowledge written, spoken and cultural expertise.
“Really, what is marketable (are) students who have capabilities in multiple languages,” she said.
Los Angeles City Schools, San Francisco Unified and San Jose Unified also offer the program.
Windsor will implement three levels of recognition on both diplomas and transcripts after students meet some of the most rigorous targets in the state.
A gold seal will indicate the student has passed two Advanced Placement tests in foreign language