World Language Certificate and Bilingual/Multilingual Seal

To earn this certificate, students must demonstrate reading, writing, listening, and speaking proficiency in a language other than English. Students accomplish this by taking a language proficiency assessment approved by the Minnesota Department of Education. This certificate is available to all high school students regardless of their current grade, although the district strongly suggests students wait to take the exam until their sophomore year in school, due to the fact that 9th graders are ineligible for the higher awards regardless of their performance on the exam. The World Language Proficiency Certificate will be awarded at the end of the academic year when a student demonstrates their language proficiency, and a notation indicating the certificate will appear on the student’s official high school transcript. This award certifies the student's abilities only in the language of the test. At a participating college or university, it replaces 2 semesters of a college-level language course or up to 10 credits.

To earn a seal, students must satisfactorily complete all required English Language Arts credits in their high school, in addition to demonstrating reading, writing, listening, and speaking proficiency in another language through a language proficiency assessment approved by the Minnesota Department of Education. The seal can be earned by students in 10th, 11th or 12th grade, and is awarded upon graduation from the Anoka-Hennepin school district. A notation indicating the seal earned will appear on the student’s official high school transcript. This award certifies the student's abilities in both the language of the test and in English.

There are two types of Bilingual Seals that reflect the level of proficiency that a student has achieved: Gold and Platinum. At a participating college or university, a gold level seal replaces 3 semesters of a college-level language course or up to 15 credits, whereas a platinum level seal replaces 4 semesters of a college-level language course, or up to 20 credits. 

The state of Minnesota uses the American Council of Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines as a basis for awarding world language certificates or bilingual seals. The ACTFL Guidelines describe of what individuals can do with language in terms of speaking, writing, listening, and reading in real-world situations in a spontaneous and non-rehearsed context, and these guidelines are arranged on a scale from novice to distinguished.

To earn a World Language Certificate (equivalent to 2 semesters or up to 10 college credits) students should have a minimum of an Intermediate low ACTFL rating in all four language skills. This corresponds a score of a 3 on an Advanced Placement (AP) exam or the score of a 3 on the International Baccalaureate (IB) standard level exam.

• In Interpretive Communication 
  • I can identify the topic and related information from simple sentences in short informational and fictional texts, as well as in short conversations.

• In Interpersonal Communication
  • I can request and provide information in conversations on familiar topics by creating simple sentences and asking appropriate follow-up questions.
  • I can interact with others to meet my basic needs in familiar situations by creating simple sentences and asking appropriate follow-up questions.
  • I can express, ask about, and react with some details to preferences, feelings, or opinions on familiar topics, by creating simple sentences and asking appropriate follow-up questions.

• In Presentational Communication
  • I can present personal information about my life, activities and events, using simple sentences.
  • I can express my preferences on familiar and everyday topics of interest and explain why I feel that way, using simple sentences.
  • I can present on familiar and everyday topics, using simple sentences.

To earn a Gold Bilingual Seal (equivalent to 3 semesters or up to 15 college credits) students should have a minimum of an Intermediate High ACTFL rating in all four language skills.  This corresponds to a score of a 4 on an Advanced Placement (AP) exam or the score of a 4 or 5 on the International Baccalaureate (IB) standard level exam.

• In Interpretive Communication 
  • I can usually follow the main message in various time frames in straightforward, and sometimes descriptive, paragraph length informational and fictional texts, as well as in conversations and discussions.

• In Interpersonal Communication
  • I can exchange information in conversations and some discussions on a variety of familiar and some concrete topics that I have researched, using connected sentences that may combine to form paragraphs and asking a variety of questions, often across various time frames.
  • I can interact with others to meet my needs in a variety of situations, sometimes involving a complication, using connected sentences that may combine to form paragraphs and asking a variety of questions, often across various time frames.
  • I can explain preferences, opinions, and emotions and provide advice on a variety of familiar and some concrete topics that I have researched, using connected sentences that may combine to form paragraphs and asking a variety of questions, often across various time frames.

• In Presentational Communication
  • I can tell stories about school and community events and personal experiences, using a few short paragraphs, often across various time frames.
  • I can state my viewpoint on familiar or researched topics and provide reasons to support it, using a few short paragraphs, often across various time frames.

  • I can give detailed presentations on a variety of familiar topics and some concrete topics I have researched, using a few short paragraphs, often across various time frames.
    

To earn a Platinum Bilingual Seal (equivalent to 4 semesters or up to 20 college credits) students should have a minimum of an Advanced Low ACTFL rating in all four language skills.  This corresponds to a score of a 5 on an Advanced Placement (AP) exam or the score of a 6 or 7 on the International Baccalaureate (IB) standard level exam, or a 4+ on the IB higher level exam.

• In Interpretive Communication 
  • I can identify the underlying message and some supporting details across major time frames in descriptive informational texts.
  • I can follow the main story and some supporting detail across major time frames in fictional texts.
  • I can understand the main message and some supporting details across major time frames in conversations and discussions.

• In Interpersonal Communication
  • I can exchange information and ideas in discussions on a variety of familiar and concrete academic and social topics, using a few simple paragraphs across major time frames.
  • I can interact and negotiate to resolve an unexpected complication that arises in a familiar situation, using a few simple paragraphs across major time frames.
  • I can maintain conversations by providing explanations and comparisons of preferences, opinions, and advice on familiar and concrete academic and social topics using a few simple paragraphs across major time frames.

• In Presentational Communication
  
  • I can tell stories about school and community events and personal experiences, using paragraphs across major time frames.
  • I can state a viewpoint with supporting evidence on some concrete academic, social and professional topics of interest using paragraphs across major time frames.
  • I can deliver presentations on some concrete academic, social and professional topics of interest, using paragraphs across major time frames.

There is a wide array of language proficiency tests that are accepted by the Minnesota Department of Education for the purpose of awarding a world language certificate or a bilingual seal. Anoka-Hennepin offers Advanced Placement (AP) language exams, International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) exams, and Minnesota Bilingual Seals Assessments in the spring. Which test an individual ought to take depends on the language of the test, their high school coursework, and test availability in any given year. 

June 11, 2026 - Registration for the 2025-26 Bilingual Seal Exam is open through May 8, 2026.

Students may take the Bilingual Seal Exam one time per year. If you would like to improve your score, you may test the following school year.

The exam registration process for Spring 2026 will have two steps:

1. Fill out the online registration form no later than May 8, 2026. You will need to use an Anoka-Hennepin Google account. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate students outside of the district at this time.
2. Submit payment for the exam no later than May 15, 2026, using the parent or guardian's ParentVue account associated with the student.

The group of schools first to accept the world language proficiency certificates and bilingual seals were Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, a statewide system of 30 colleges and seven universities with 54 campuses across the state.

Listing of schools

*Note: The University of Minnesota is not included in this group.

More institutions are considering offering credit for the bilingual seal. Most recently Augsburg University began accepting bilingual seals for credit.