A new certification at the Gunnison Watershed School District will designate qualifying students as bilingual, a skill that is attractive to college admissions offices and future employers.
The school district may launch a “seal of biliteracy” program as soon as this year, pending approval from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and the school board. A seal of biliteracy is a credential given by a Colorado school or district recognizing students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation. More than 70 schools across the Western Slope and the Front Range already offer the seal.
Gunnison High School (GHS) Principal Jim Woytek, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Coordinator Erin Harrington and Spanish teachers Philip Handmaker and Janet Welsh-Crossley have been crafting the program over the past year. The team presented it to the school board during a work session on Monday, Aug. 26. While no formal decisions were made during the session, the board will formally consider the launch of the biliteracy program later this fall.
Over the last several years, the number of non-native English speaking students enrolled in the Gunnison school system has nearly doubled — from 9% of the student body in 2017, to 17% in 2023. The numbers are lower in Crested Butte. Through the biliteracy program, Handmaker believes these students’ bilingualism should be recognized not as a deficit, but a strength. The seal certification would also be open to students whose primary language is English, challenging them to take the first steps in mastering a new language.
“It gives them, along with their families, pride in being bilingual, and [makes them] feel recognized by the community for that achievement,” Handmaker said.
Through the biliteracy program, students who work to build skills in both English and another language would be able to earn a “seal of biliteracy.” Students who demonstrate proficiency in two languages would receive a certificate and a cord at graduation, as well as a notation on their high school transcript. While the school district currently only offers language classes in Spanish and French, students can pursue proficiency in up to 25 other languages recognized by the program on their own time.
The program will be open to students who enter the school system with literacy in another language and are learning English, in addition to English-speakers who are learning a new world language. District high school students must complete a one-credit language class in order to graduate. This program would encourage students to take additional, higher level courses.
There are multiple routes students can take to achieve proficiency in English including an SAT score of 470 or greater, a score of 3.0 or higher on an AP Literature exam, or passing four years of high school-level English with an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher.
To demonstrate proficiency in a world language, the requirements are similar. Students have the option of passing an AP World Language exam, achieving a 3.0 GPA or higher in four years of a language class, obtaining a specific score on a language proficiency test called “Stamp” or passing two semesters of concurrent enrollment in a college-level language class during their senior year.
As the program develops, the vision is that students could start to build their language skills as early as elementary school in enrichment classes and then continue to learn through middle and high school. Once they enter their senior year, students would then have access to testing during the spring before graduation.
“Once we start to value bilingualism in the district, that can circle back and help us think about how we can support even higher proficiency,” Handmaker said.
The team determined it could operate on an annual budget of no more than $1,000 to cover testing and supplies. Woytek said GHS could cover the cost through its general supplies budget, and expected the same for Crested Butte High School. Language teachers and counselors would help students move through the program and prepare for testing.
“It's manageable, and it's a low cost, high reward,” he said.
But over time, the program will generate a need for more language teachers, widening the budget greatly. For example, Crested Butte Middle School offers Spanish classes, but Gunnison does not. No programming exists in elementary school, although English language development classes are available for Spanish-speaking students throughout their time at school.
With the intent of launching the program as soon as this school year, board member Jody Coleman asked Woytek how much “encouragement and support” he thought students would need to get involved in the program.
“The best advertisement for it would be the students who walk across in May 2025 with the cords and that recognition,” Woytek said.
While the district must still work through the details, Superintendent Leslie Nichols said she gave the team permission to fill out the CDE application. If it is approved, the school officials will begin to see where the biliteracy program fits in with its graduation guidelines and district policy. The school board would still have the final say before the program is launched.
(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@gunnisontimes.com.)
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