The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) received a Seal of Biliteracy Gold Star Award as well as an Inclusive Access Recognition from the Department of Early and Secondary Education (DESE) last spring. A total of 40 students earned the Seal of Biliteracy in the 2025–26 school year, and represented 20 percent of last year’s graduating class.
Of those 40 students, 24 earned the Seal of Biliteracy in Portuguese, 13 in Spanish, and three in Latin. Three of the students also earned the seal in more than one of those languages.
World Language department chair Erin Slossberg explained the Seal of Biliteracy is something students can put on a résumé, and can allow them to opt out of language classes at the college level.
MVRHS graduate Luis Costa, who is currently at Bridgewater State University studying health sciences, earned the Seal of Biliteracy in Portuguese last year. “Being bilingual has helped me communicate with different people and understand different cultures,” he said. “It will also be helpful in my future healthcare career, because I’ll be able to communicate with Portuguese-speaking patients.”
To earn the seal, students must first demonstrate proficiency in English, either by passing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), or by scoring a minimum score of 501 on the English portion of the SAT exam. They must also demonstrate an intermediate to high level at their target language on the STAndards-based Measurement of Proficiency (STAMP). The test evaluates Portuguese and Spanish students across four areas: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Latin students are only assessed on reading skills, and American Sign Language students are assessed on expressive and perspective skills. In order to get the seal, students have to reach a minimum score of 6 out of 9 on all modalities.
Daniel Soares Filho graduated from MVRHS in 2024 with a Seal of Biliteracy in Portuguese. He is currently at Bridgewater as well, and plans to double-major in philosophy and liberal arts.
“Having the seal will allow me to drop one of the three languages I have to do for my majors,” he said. “I do believe that taking the STAMP test is super-important, especially if you already speak both languages. It will help you find better jobs, and it’s also 15 credits in college, which is a whole semester, and a lot of money.”
“The test was pretty straightforward overall,” said Luis. “The reading and writing sections were easier, because I use Portuguese regularly. The other parts were more challenging because I don’t use formal Portuguese as often as English.”
Daniel Filho said, “The hardest part was actually learning English when I got [to the U.S.]. The test itself was really easy for me, since Portuguese is my first language.” He noted, however, that the test is about more than just speaking the language. “The hardest part was the reading, since you really have to interpret the text.”
Leah Palmer, who serves as the English language learning director for the Martha’s Vineyard Public Schools, was at the fall Multilingual Education Leaders Network Convening on Oct. 26 at the Devens Common Center, and accepted the award on behalf of MVRHS.
“I was really excited that MVRHS got it!” Ms. Palmer said. “It is such an accomplishment. This year we have even more students going for the Seal of Biliteracy. We might be able to get the platinum star.”
Beyond the academic opportunities the Seal of Biliteracy provides, the awards presented to the district reflect the diversity of the school community and the efforts being made to celebrate multilingual learners.
“It felt great being part of that achievement,” Luis said. “I’m proud that MVRHS recognizes students who speak multiple languages and gives them an opportunity to showcase their abilities.”
