The seal of biliteracy is an award that gives students an opportunity to be recognized on their transcript for having excellence in 2 or more languages, according to the school website.
This is the first year the test is being offered to Plainfield students.
The languages a student can test in are Arabic, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
Any juniors and seniors who missed the first test can still take it on Saturday, Apr. 27 from 9-12 p.m. at Plainfield South High School and Plainfield East High School, according to the school website.
The deadline to register is Apr. 13 and the cost for the test is $17.50.  Students can register on the school’s homepage, and once they register they must show a receipt to Heather Owens, creative arts department chair.
“In a global economy, being bilingual is almost a necessity,” Owens said.
In order to receive the award, the student must be proficient in English, receive a 540 or more on the SAT or receive a composite score of 21 on the ACT, and also score an intermediate/ high rating on the AVANT test, according to Owens.
Students can also receive the award by earning a 4 or 5 on the AP Language test.
Receiving the award will be on the student’s transcript, and will also help them receive college credit, scholarships, and job placement.
“I highly encourage people to do it”, Jennifer Rodeck, French teacher, said. “We are one of the few countries that doesn’t push foreign language”.
Juniors can take the test now and apply that score to their SAT, ACT, or AP exam.
“I believe that the Biliteracy test seal will be essential to me when it comes to applying for colleges and jobs,” Karla Cervantes , junior, said. “The seal may help save me some money on unnecessary language classes that I may have to take and it also will put me ahead.”
The format of the test is reading, writing, listening, and speaking according to Owens.
“There is no ‘secret’ study guide for this test besides taking the language course or practicing at home. It’s looking for more proficiency in communication,” Owens said.