With the Seal of Biliteracy Expanding, Avant Assessment Announces Polish Proficiency Assessment; Assessment Launched In Michigan Will Be New Option for States With Large Polish Populations
EUGENE, OR (February 8, 2018) – As the number of states and school districts offering the “Seal of Biliteracy” continues to increase rapidly across the country, students studying Polish will now for the first time be able to demonstrate their proficiency in the language based on a new assessment developed by Avant Assessment, the company announced today.
Avant Assessment, the leading world language proficiency assessment company, announced that it will now offer a Polish language assessment option for local schools. The assessment will be offered for the first time in Michigan schools this spring.
There are approximately 10 million Polish-Americans in the United States, and at least 30,000 students estimated to be studying the Polish language, with Michigan, Illinois, and New York counting the largest populations. Until now, there was no nationally recognized assessment for Polish students. Avant’s assessment will allow those students to fully document their Polish language proficiency for the first time.
“In today’s global economy and multicultural society, language skills are as valuable as math and science,” Avant founder and CEO David Bong said. “There are thousands of students who have mastered Polish as a second language, and now with this assessment and the Seal of Biliteracy, they can demonstrate their proficiency and highlight it as a marketable skill for colleges or future jobs.”
The Polish Mission of the Orchard Lake Schools in Michigan has been working with Avant Assessment to implement the Polish language proficiency assessment.
The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by school districts to students who have achieved a level of proficiency in English and one or more languages by the time of their high school graduation. This is a life-long award that serves as a proof-point to colleges or employers of a student’s language proficiency. In order to receive the Seal, students must demonstrate a level of proficiency by an approved assessment or other methods depending on the state.
Avant’s STAMP assessment is the leading language proficiency assessment in the world, giving schools, teachers, and parents the only true picture of students’ world language proficiency skills, and providing teachers and schools with accurate data to improve their programs and learning outcomes.
