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By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – English as a second language students at Montevallo High School will be awarded a prestigious honor at an awards ceremony on Thursday, May 1.

Seven students at MHS will be presented with the Alabama Seal of Biliteracy. At the awards ceremony, students will be presented with a medal and certificate for earning the honor.

Kimberly Dooley, an ESL teacher at MHS, outlined the Alabama Seal of Biliteracy.

“On April 1, 2022, the state of Alabama signed into law Alabama Act #2022-200, which recognizes graduates who have demonstrated English proficiency in one other world language, including American Sign Language,” Dooley said. “This designation, reported on a student’s high school transcript, helps employers and universities identify candidates who are bilingual, possess 21st century skills and value learning other languages and cultures.”

In order to earn the designation, students had to meet the following qualifications:

• Complete Alabama high school graduation requirements
• Demonstrate proficiency in one of the approved English language assessment options
• Demonstrate proficiency in one of the approved world languages assessments

The program came to Shelby County through multiple levels of collaboration according to Dooley.

“Starting last summer and this school year (2024-2025) in Shelby County, a committee of teachers from the high schools worked closely with Dr. Allison Campbell, K-12 instructional supervisor and Mrs. Leah Dobbs-Black, ESL program supervisor, to create guidelines and procedures in order to offer this opportunity to our students,” Dooley said.

Dooley then outlined how the program was implemented at MHS.

“Shelby County Schools started the program this school year and we are excited that seven students took advantage of this opportunity and have earned the Alabama Seal of Biliteracy at Montevallo High School,” Dooley said. “Ms. Diana Carlos, a Spanish teacher, and I are the sponsors for this program at MHS. We held interest meetings, made flyers and created announcements in the fall to get the word out about this new opportunity. Students applied and expressed interest, which was exciting. Then Ms. Carlos and I created a Google Classroom, met with students to discuss how to study and prepare for the STAMP test and worked closely with Dr. Allison Campbell to ensure success for our students. Our students took the online STAMP test on Oct. 30, 2024. We found out a few days later we had reason to celebrate because all seven students passed all four sections of the STAMP test.”

All seven MHS students met the guidelines for the award and have proven their proficiency in both English and Spanish. Dooley outlined practically what steps students had to take to receive the award.

“Our students proved their English proficiency by either scoring an 18 or higher on English or a 20 or higher on the reading portion of the ACT or by exiting the ESL program by scoring a 4.8 or above on the WIDA ACCESS test for ELLs in grades 6-12,” Dooley said. “They proved their proficiency in Spanish by taking the STAMP Language Proficiency Test and scoring a level 5 or higher on reading, writing, listening and speaking individual tests. All seven students passed the STAMP test on their first attempt which was amazing.”

Outside of their achievements, Dooley described the backgrounds of the seven students receiving the honor.

“The students receiving the Seal of Biliteracy are of Mexican and Salvadorian backgrounds,” Dooley said. “They are fluent in both Spanish and English. Spanish is primarily spoken in their homes. Most of them will be the first ones to go to college and with this recognition they are able to receive more scholarships. They are so excited to have been the first in their families to receive both the Seal of Biliteracy on their diplomas and go to college. They are so proud of themselves and so are we for such an honorable accomplishment.”

The award is a milestone for both the students that are receiving it and the Montevallo High School community at large.

“This award helps to emphasize the importance of bilingualism and cultural understanding in the Montevallo community,” Dooley said. “It also helps us celebrate the language differences and rich culture that everyone brings to the area.”

The program’s very nature is one that supports diversity, inclusion and academic achievement.

“The Seal of Biliteracy promotes diversity and inclusion by validating multilingualism and encouraging cultural awareness,” Dooley said. “It is another way as educators we can help students affirm their cultural and linguistic heritage while also fostering respect for diverse cultures and languages among all students.”

According to Dooley, the academic benefits of the award go beyond MHS.

“This program enhances academic achievement by motivating students to take language learning seriously and develop proficiency in two or more languages,” Dooley said. “It also helps students stand out in college admissions and in the job market by showcasing their language skills.”

The program adds added benefits for heritage speakers, as well.

“For heritage speakers, this program offers equity in recognition because it provides a formal acknowledgement of skills that multilingual students may already possess,” Dooley said. “Overall, this new opportunity can empower students from diverse backgrounds, promote equity and support long-term academic and professional success.”

Dooley concluded by outlining the ceremony and how it will play out.

“Students will be recognized and receive a medal and a certificate for earning the Alabama Seal of Biliteracy on May 1,” Dooley said. “The six seniors will be recognized at 8:30 a.m. during the senior awards ceremony and one 11th grade student will be recognized at 1 p.m. during the underclassmen awards ceremony in the Performing Arts Center at Montevallo High School. The Seal of Biliteracy will also be indicated on their official transcript.”

While Dooley is proud of the program’s growth, she knows that the future is still bright.

“We will continue to promote the Seal of Biliteracy at the middle and high school levels and encourage students to work toward earning this prestigious honor,” Dooley said.

For more information on Montevallo High School, visit Shelbyed.k12.al.us/o/mhs.