This badge of honor gives students a competitive edge when applying for jobs and college, and it was earned by 76 percent of Canyons’ high school seniors who applied for it last year. 

It’s called the Seal of Biliteracy — and the time to apply to have it affixed to your student’s transcripts is now.

Each year, Canyons School District invites high school juniors and seniors to apply for the Seal of Biliteracy, a designation by the Utah State Office of Education signaling a student’s demonstrated proficiency in English and at least one other language. This year, the application window opens Monday, Nov. 25, 2024 and closes Friday, Jan. 17, 2025.

“The Seal of Biliteracy was created in 2018, and it’s something that colleges and employers have really started paying attention to. More and more are giving preference to applicants with this designation,” says Michèle Harward in CSD’s Instructional Supports Department.

More and more students are also taking advantage of the opportunity (see data below). “We’ve worked hard to get the word out while making the application process easier,” Harward says. “We have a lot of students who speak another language at home. Canyons District is home to high-performing dual language immersion program that is known for producing multilingual students who are heavily recruited by employers from around the world.”

Students can apply for the seal online from the comfort of their homes. Schools encourage students to start applying in their junior year, because it gives them more time to take advantage of the different tests that can be used to determine eligibility.

Often students have already completed a qualifying exam and no further testing is necessary. Testing is administered, however, at the high schools each year. 

Questions? Reach out to the Diploma Specialist in your school’s counseling center.

CSD’s Seal of Biliteracy Recipients 

2017-2018 — 90
2018-2019 — 97
2019-2020 — 94
2020-2021 — 141
2021-2022 — 226
2022-2023 — 302
2023-2024 — 271