Every year the French and Spanish classes have the grueling task of completing the stamp test. This test has four parts including reading, writing, speaking and listening. The stamp test is taken in your classroom over a few days. You can score from 1 to 9 on each section, with 1 having a novice low knowledge of Spanish and a 9 means the student has an advanced high knowledge of Spanish. At Magnet sophomore, juniors and seniors take the test each year. The Stamp test offers high school juniors and seniors the chance to earn the Seal of Biliteracy. The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given to students by either school, district, or county. It awards students for being proficient in two languages by high school graduation. The Seal of Biliteracy has three levels. The Bronze Seal of Biliteracy, is the lowest seal a student can receive and is achieved through receiving a minimum of 5 on all sections. The next seal is the Silver Seal of Biliteracy, which means a student must have a minimum score of 6 on all sections. The final and highest seal of biliteracy is the Gold Seal of Biliteracy. This seal is given to the student when they achieve a minimum of 7 on all sections. 

To take this test the student must pace themselves. This test is a “marathon.” If you don’t pace yourself you will be drained from working on all the sections, and the quality of your work will probably worsen. To learn about the test and to teach yourself a good pace, sophomores at Magnet take the test. While it is good practice, unfortunately sophomores cannot earn the Seal of Biliteracy 🙁 Junior year is the best time to earn the seal of biliteracy, in my opinion. During junior year you are the most motivated and you can put it in your common app and on your resume to send to your colleges. While the Seal of Biliteracy can be counted toward college credit, it only goes towards certain colleges. This means that seniors aren’t necessarily motivated to do well on the test unless they are planning to take a language in college at one of the schools. Some of these schools include Clemson University, Winthrop, Auburn University, and Tulane. To find out which other colleges take it check out this website: https://theglobalseal.com/higher-education 

Personally, I think sophomore, juniors and seniors should take the official test. While it matters most for juniors and seniors, the test is good practice for sophomores and to test their skills. Juniors have the chance to earn the Seal of Biliteracy and put in on their common and seniors have the chance to earn college credit. One senior in Spanish says that while the Stamp Test is useful because college credit can be earned, we don’t do enough practice for the test to be worth it. While talking to some of the seniors who take French, they think that while the test is tedious, it is good to take all three years. Taking the test sophmore year sets a baseline for you, and by senior year you will be able to see your progress.

Comment below what you think about the Stamp Test!