First university in Mississippi, MSU offers Global Seal of Biliteracy
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures now offers the Global Seal of Biliteracy to MSU students, becoming the first university in Mississippi to sponsor the internationally recognized credential.
The Global Seal of Biliteracy is a credential that certifies an individual’s proficiency in both English and at least one additional language. Established in 2018, the Global Seal is available in approximately 60 countries worldwide. The credential is offered at multiple levels—including functional fluency, working fluency and professional fluency—based on the depth of proficiency demonstrated.
“CMLL has begun sponsoring the Global Seal of Biliteracy to help MSU students see language education as an opportunity for professional development—not merely as a requirement to check off,” said Robert M. West, professor and CMLL department head. “We wanted to help students attain a meaningful, internationally recognized credential that can help them get good jobs and advance professionally in an increasingly interconnected, multilingual world.
“The seal gives students official, international recognition of their language proficiency—it’s one more way we’re helping our students show the world what they know,” West continued. “Once a student’s passing scores are reported, they will be issued a certificate and a unique serial number to include on their LinkedIn profiles and resumes as official documentation of their skills.”
Amie Russell, an instructor II in CMLL and undergraduate coordinator who will assist this program’s implementation said, “This partnership with the Global Seal of Biliteracy will help any MSU student, not just language majors, gain a distinguishing credential that proves their language ability, but we hope it also bring students into our department to learn how language and cultural knowledge can improve their experiences as they move through the world, both personally and professionally.”
MSU students may register through the official Avant Assessment storefront to take Standards-Based Measurement of Proficiency, or STAMPS, test with online proctoring.
For more about MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences or the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, visit www.cas.msstate.edu or www.cmll.msstate.edu.
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