As of the 2025-2026 school year, Westford Academy’s World Language Department has implemented a new testing strategy for the State Seal of Biliteracy (SSB) test. A full day, in-school testing session was held on Jan. 12 in effort to shorten the assessment process, reduce class disruptions, and make the SSB more accessible for seniors.
SSB is a nationally recognized award that honors graduating seniors who demonstrate high levels of expertise in English and one other language. In Massachusetts, the Seal was signed into law in 2017 as a part of the Language Opportunity for Our Kids (LOOK) Act, which aims to expand language opportunities for students. Seniors who earn the Seal get special recognition on their diploma and transcript. This shows colleges that the student has achieved proficiency in two or more languages.
Additionally, the Seal does more than give scholarly recognition to students. According to the SSB coordinator Stephanie Grabowski Devlin, it also motivates students to learn and study foreign languages.
“It’s a meaningful distinction that can open doors in higher education and beyond,” Devlin said.
To earn the Seal, students must meet certain requirements by demonstrating skills in English and another language. English proficiency is measured through the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) or Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State (ACCESS) testing, while the other language is tested based on exams such as Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency (STAMP) or Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) AP language exams. Students may also complete a portfolio to display their competence for languages that do not have a state approved test.
According to Devlin, in previous years the testing process began in January and extended until the end of March. Exams were administered over multiple days during language classes or after school, which often resulted in AP and level 5 language classes losing four to five days of teaching. On top of that, heritage students, or individuals who learn a language that is spoken in their culture, face challenges. The extended testing process required students to return to school multiple times after hours, which creates conflicts with jobs as well as home lives.
“Testing after school on multiple occasions was difficult for students who had after-school jobs or played sports,” Devlin said. “We wanted to remove those barriers and make the process more accessible for all students.”
Due to out-of-school commitments, there would oftentimes be student absences that led to a delayed completion of the testing process. According to Devlin, this year’s new testing strategy significantly changed how students experience the SBB assessment.
“In the past, we experienced many absences with the stretched out schedule,” German teacher Ashley Smith said. “Since the testing will be done in one day, we won’t have to worry about the many absences that will happen on any of the other exam days.”
Rather than taking the exam over several weeks, the World Language Department organized an in-school “testing field trip” that allowed students to complete most or all of the test within a single day. Testing began at 8 a.m., and students were given the entire school day to work through the exam in their own time.
“Giving students the entire school day allowed them to work at their own pace and take breaks between sections, which led to a calmer and more focused testing environment,” Devlin said.
However, a small number of students were unable to attend the in-school testing day due to Mock Trial competitions or travel. The World Language Department plans to collaborate with these students to guarantee that they are able to complete their exams. Additionally, the students who were absent on the day that SSB was given will take their exam during the makeup midterm exam block.
The assessment consists of four components including reading and writing, as well as listening and speaking, which had traditionally been administered on different days. Under the new system, AP and level 5 language students completed the listening portion during class before the testing day, reducing the amount of material they needed to go through during the exam. This allowed students to focus on the remaining three sections without missing additional instructional time in their advanced language classes. Completing testing earlier also allows staff to release results sooner.
“Finalizing the results earlier ensures that students receive the recognition they’ve earned on their diplomas, transcripts, and in the graduation program,” Devlin said.
According to the World Language Department, the revised approach was successful due to the planning and collaboration across the school. While language teachers proctored exams throughout the day, members of the Informational Technology Department prepared the language lab and provided loaner chromebooks to ensure that testing could run smoothly.
As for the student body, taking the exam in one day helped to avoid the prolonged stress associated with a dragged-out exam schedule.
“This method was better because I could get it all done in one day and not have to stress about it,” senior and Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish student Sofia Gutierrez said. “I think it would’ve been a lot more nerve racking if it would’ve been stretched out.”
