Alpharetta Tamil School has been selected as an approved test center by Avant World Speaking to take the language proficiency test for earning the Seal of Biliteracy/Global Seal. With the approval of our school as the test center, your high school student can take the test at our school in a much familiar setting. Please contact Biliteracy Coordinator Mr. Anbu Vincent at biliteracy@alpharettatamilschool.org for more details if your student is willing to take this test and earn the seal.
Seal of Biliteracy in Tamil
What is it?
It is an award for a high school student for being proficient in one or more languages in addition to English.
Who can earn this?
Any high school student in the state of Georgia. Student should have completed all the requirements for English and have 3.0 or above grade.
What are the benefits?
The Biliteracy Seal denotes that a student is proficient in Tamil in addition to English.
A seal would be added to their high school diploma.
Receiving a congratulatory letter from the Georgia Department of Education.
This is useful for college admission and further employment.
Why now a Biliteracy Seal in Tamil?
The state of Georgia passed a law and adopted this Seal of Biliteracy in 2016. Initially, only a handful of languages were included in this. With an effort from our school, Tamil was added to the list in 2018.
How can the student take the proficiency test in Tamil?
The student can take the Tamil proficiency test offered by Avant World Speak. Alpharetta Tamil school is an approved test center for this test and the student can take the test at our school.
How the test is administered?
Avant, is a web-based test. There are two sections, speaking and writing an essay.
The speech is recorded and uploaded. The essay is typed online in Tamil and submitted for evaluation.
What is the minimum score needed to earn the Seal?
The student needs a minimum score of 6 in both sections of the test to earn the Seal of Biliteracy.
When can the student take the test?
The student can take the exam at any time during high school. However, the passing score is considered only when the student has completed the English requirement and has the GPA of 3.0.
How can the student take the test?
The student should contact Alpharetta Tamil School by sending an email to biliteracy@alpharettatamilschool.org
Does ATS offer classes to train the students specifically for the Tamil proficiency test?
Yes, starting from 2020, ATS has started classes once a week on Sundays with a specific scope of preparing the students for the test. The focus is to train the students to refresh what they have studied, improve their skills on critical thinking, essay writing, speaking skills, typing online in Tamil, and time management.
How long does it take for the students to get ready for the test?
Every student is different in their proficiency level in Tamil. The classes are small with 7-10 students in each class which allows the teacher to provide individual attention. Our teachers are well trained to identify the readiness of their students. The students are encouraged to take the exam as soon as they are ready, any time before March to meet the April deadline in their senior year.
Can the students retake the exam if they did not get sufficient scores in the test?
Yes. They can retake the writing or speaking or both until they get the passing score. There will be a fee of $10 for each test each time.
How long is the test?
Normally it takes 3hrs for both tests.
How long it would take to get the results of the exam?
It may take 2 weeks to get the results back.
After getting the passing grade, what should the students do and what is next?
The student should inform the high school academic counselor on taking the test. ATS would provide the score to the high school. The academic counselor will collect the application from the student and receive the official score from ATS. They will verify if the student met the requirement for English. After verification, they will submit the application to the DOE Georgia.
When can the student receive the actual Seal of Biliteracy?
After receiving the applications submitted by the high school, the DOE issues the seal normally, just before the graduation in May. The school will confirm the receipt, communicate the student and issue the seal to students at the graduation ceremony.