Recognizing TALENT students who reach real proficiency in both Tamil and English by high school graduation
The Seal of Biliteracy is awarded to students who have shown proficiency in their home/heritage language in addition to mastering English. It appears as a gold seal on the student's high school diploma at the time of graduation, and is granted by the student's home state or county.
TALENT students earn the Seal of Biliteracy for Tamil and English. Each county sets its own criteria for the award — some schools grant language credit, while most award the seal directly. Earning it is comparable to taking an AP (Advanced Placement) exam in a foreign language such as Spanish, French, or German — and students who study another world language in addition to Tamil can go on to achieve "Tri-Literacy"!
Several organizations offer Tamil oral and writing tests for the Seal, but TALENT follows the TVA (Tamil Virtual Academy) syllabus for the written exam and the ACTFL OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) for the spoken exam.
At TALENT, a student's Tamil learning journey typically begins at around age four in இளந்தளிர் (Ilanthalir), and builds year over year toward the Seal:
Students can take the OPI within a few weeks of the HG10 exam if they feel ready, or wait a few months to practice further. TALENT also offers a dedicated Level 11 class on Fridays exclusively to prepare students for the OPI.
Students can only apply for the Seal of Biliteracy at the start of their senior year (12th grade), and the seal is placed on the high school diploma at graduation. TALENT strongly encourages every student to continue their Tamil learning through to the Seal.
There are three eligibility criteria for the Biliteracy Seal:
Taken as part of the student's regular public high school coursework — no extra step needed here.
Tests Reading & Writing proficiency in Tamil, following the TVA (Tamil Virtual Academy) syllabus.
Tests Speaking & Listening proficiency. Students must score Intermediate High or above on the Oral Proficiency Interview.
ACTFL = American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages; OPI = Oral Proficiency Interview.
A few important timing notes:
Yes. The TVA exam result/score is valid indefinitely and does not expire, so students can take it earlier if they're ready.
Students may be able to take the exams earlier, but most only have the maturity to handle them well starting in Nilai 9 or 10 — so TALENT recommends taking the HG10 exam in Nilai 9, 10, or 11.
Yes, the OPI score expires after two years. Because of this, there's little benefit to taking it before Nilai 10 — if a student takes it in 9th grade, the score may well have expired by the time they apply for the Seal in 12th grade. Students can retake the OPI if needed.
Yes — see the Maryland State Department of Education's World Languages/Biliteracy page and the national Seal of Biliteracy site linked at the bottom of this section.
TALENT students who earn the Seal of Biliteracy stand out for the dedication and motivation it takes to accomplish it — hard work that carries through to college and beyond. Winning the Seal is another strong addition to a college application, alongside extracurriculars and academic achievements. See the list of colleges our graduates now attend below.
TALENT graduates who earned the Seal of Biliteracy have gone on to pursue undergraduate degrees at colleges and universities including:
TALENT is proud of every student who has put in the years of work needed to earn the Seal of Biliteracy in Tamil. Congratulations to all of our recipients!
Know a recent graduate who should be added to this list?
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