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Prairie High School proudly honored its multilingual scholars last night at the annual Iowa Seal of Biliteracy Celebration. The ceremony was held on the evening of Wednesday April 23rd in the Concert Hall, recognizing students who have demonstrated outstanding proficiency in two or more languages.

The Iowa Seal of Biliteracy program acknowledges students who exhibit exceptional language skills in English plus at least one additional language. This distinguished achievement represents countless hours of dedication to language acquisition and cultural understanding, skills increasingly valued in our global society.

For the 2024-25 academic year, Prairie High School celebrated remarkable achievements:

  • 94 students (87%) earned the Iowa Seal of Biliteracy
  • 73 students (67%) received the Global Functional Seal
  • 3 students (2%) achieved the Global Working Seal

The celebration featured keynote speaker Beth Globokar, Program Director for Student Teaching and Education Assessment at Cornell College and board member for the Rotary Exchange Student Program. Students were presented with medals and certificates marking their accomplishments, and the Seal of Biliteracy will be permanently added to each recipient’s transcript.

To earn the Seal, students must demonstrate proficiency in both English and another language. At Prairie High School, this is accomplished through standardized tests for English and the AAPPL (Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages) test for world languages, which evaluates Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing skills.

For the Iowa Seal of Biliteracy, students must reach the I2 (Intermediate-Mid) level on all components. The Global Seal of Biliteracy includes two distinguished levels: Functional Fluency requiring I4 (Intermediate-High) scores, and Working Fluency requiring Advanced (A1) proficiency across all portions.

This recognition not only honors academic excellence but also celebrates the cultural diversity that enriches our school community. Multilingual proficiency represents a valuable asset for these students as they prepare for future academic and professional pursuits in an increasingly interconnected world. The Prairie High School community is exceptionally proud of these students and their commitment to language learning and cultural understanding.