Ithaca City School District -

On June 4, 34 seniors from Ithaca High School and Lehman Alternative Community School gathered at Stewart Park to celebrate their recent achievement of earning the New York State Seal of Biliteracy (NYSSB).  

The seal denotes that a student has demonstrated high proficiency in one or more world languages in addition to English. This year, students completed projects in nine languages: Spanish, Italian, French, Hebrew, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, German, Portuguese, and Russian.

To earn the NYSSB, students must demonstrate that they can meet the Intermediate High level of proficiency benchmarks, as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Those at the Intermediate High level should be able to spontaneously use language in real-world situations “in a manner acceptable and appropriate to native speakers of the language.” In addition to a culminating project, students earn points toward the seal based on their performance in English and ENL/world language courses and Regents examinations. To earn the seal in a language not offered in school, students must demonstrate their proficiency by taking an online test.

The New York State Board of Regents officially adopted the NYSSB in 2016, and the Ithaca City School District has participated since the 2018-2019 school year. By participating in the NYSSB program, the ICSD encourages students to pursue and maintain biliteracy and bilingualism, honors the skills our students attain, and provides evidence of students’ skills that are attractive to future employers and college admissions offices. The program has continued to grow each year, with this year's recipients more than doubling the number of students who received the NYSSB in 2023. 

Please visit our website for more information on the ICSD’s New York State Seal of Biliteracy. 

Congratulations, students!