Martha Halemba, Hudson City Schools

Professional Development Chair

On December 15, Governor Kasich signed SB3 that also contained HB 487, our Seal of Biliteracy Bill. In ninety days, it will become state law. We have done it! We have provideda means for our students to be recognized on their diplomas if they are literate in two languages.

Martha Castañeda testifying

The next step is for the law to go to the State Board of Education. They are required to flesh the bill out and provide the particulars of how it will be administered and the requirements. This will likely be the job of Ryan Wertz, Kathy Shelton and Paula Sondej at ODE.

Hudson students who testified with the co-sponsors of HB 487 Rep. LaTourette and Rep. Roegner and Martha Halemba

We do not know at this time what the requirements will be, but I can say that if you shoot for intermediate mid to intermediate high (level 4 more or less), that seems to be what many states are using at this time. Students will be required to use a nationally normed assessment to prove their proficiency. There is a probability that it will be ready by May of 2018, so start getting your students ready. In my district, we did some practice assessments. We have been using IPAs for the last three years, and our students did well on the assessments. Just for your information, the weakest area was the listening section. Authentic listening practice is vital for success.

Now is the time to start letting your administrators know about this and that you would like your students to be able to participate. Go to http://oflaslo.weebly.com/seal-of-biliteracy.html for more information.