DoDEA to Launch Seal of Biliteracy Program in 2025-26 School Year

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) will introduce the Seal of Biliteracy starting in the 2025-26 school year, recognizing high school graduates who demonstrate proficiency in English and in another language, including Arabic, Mandarin, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Turkish, and American Sign Language. This initiative celebrates bilingualism and prepares military-connected students for success in college and global careers, while fulfilling a Department of Defense goal of developing potential future warriors’ proficiency in languages that have been identifies as critical to its mission and US national security interests.

The Seal is earned through demonstration of proficiency in English and in another language. Achieving the required proficiency may necessitate taking advanced English and world language courses beyond the standard graduation requirements. To earn the Seal, students must demonstrate proficiency in English through a qualifying score on an English language proficiency assessment, AP English exam, or summative English Language Arts assessment. They must also show proficiency in another language by achieving a qualifying score on an approved assessment of one of the languages taught and tested in DoDEA schools, or by scoring proficient in a world language AP exam.

"Research has consistently showed that students with high proficiency in English and in at least one other language outperform monolingual students in learning areas such as problem-solving, attention and working memory. It has been demonstrated that these types of cognitive skills are strongly linked to better academics, including subjects like math and reading comprehension in English,” states Mario Nuñez, DoDEA’s Host Nation and World Languages Instructional Systems Specialist. 

 Employers in the U.S. and abroad highly value the ability to understand, speak, read, and write fluently in multiple languages, making recipients of this award highly competitive in the global job market.

The Seal of Biliteracy also aligns with the U.S. Department of Defense’s mission and priorities by recognizing military-connected students who attain high levels of proficiency in English and at least one other language—including those considered “critical languages” for national security interests. 

“The Seal of Biliteracy represents our deep commitment to preparing military-connected students for success in an interconnected world,” said Dr. Beth Narvaez, Director of DoDEA. “By honoring the hard work and dedication it takes to master two languages, we are not only recognizing academic excellence but also celebrating the global experiences of our student population. This initiative supports our mission to empower every student with the tools they need to thrive—no matter where life takes them.”

Adopted nationwide, the Seal of Biliteracy equips students with limitless opportunities. For more information, please use this link, https://www.dodea.edu/sobl.