Pascack Valley Regional High School District

In today’s global society, the acquisition of a second language is imperative. We believe our students benefit in their thinking skills by learning how a different language system operates, how languages influence one another, and how different cultures express ideas. In 2016, the New Jersey Department of Education State established the Seal of Biliteracy, which identifies graduating high school students who are able to demonstrate proficiency in English in addition to one or more world languages. The State Seal of Biliteracy certifies that a high school graduate has:

• demonstrated proficiency in English, and
• has linguistic proficiency level of at least “Intermediate Mid” according to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Proficiency Guidelines.  

Linguistic proficiency includes the areas of listening, reading, writing, and speaking in the additional language(s) and is assessed through the STAMP (Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency). Our world language department is comprised of a supervisor and teachers that teach four languages: Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, French, and Italian. Students have a choice of what language they wish to study and can take from Level I introductory up to Level 4 Advanced Placement and Level 5 independent study.