If your students are taking a Seal of Biliteracy test this school year, it’s always a good idea to prepare them. Seal of Biliteracy test prep is a must! We practice for all kinds of tests, like the PSAT for the SAT, for driving tests and more! Being familiar with what to expect decreases anxiety and increases the chances of students performing well. So- how long should you budget?
Start Early With Seal of Biliteracy Test Prep!
Start preparing your students for the Seal of Biliteracy test early. And I mean Spanish 1 early! Learn about what the sections of the test are like, and use these models to create proficiency-level appropriate activities for your students in all years of study!
But if this is the year your students will be testing, you want to not only incorporate the test-like activities regularly, but you also want to give them some direct information and a mock test.
Seal of Biliteracy Test Prep Throughout the Year
It’s easier than you think to incorporate test prep throughout the year. And once you understand what the test sections are like on the test your students will be taking, you can create templates of those activities.
Modify the activities to match the theme of your unit. This way, you are helping your students learn content, vocabulary, culture and grammar structures needed for your school assessments. But you are also familiarizing your students with the types of activities they will see on the Seal of Biliteracy test they will take!
Dedicated Time for Seal of Biliteracy Test Prep
When your students are nearing the testing period, it’s time to be a bit more direct with instruction. In my experience, students have a lot of questions about this test. They want to know:
-why should I take this?
-what do I get out of it?
-how hard is it?
-how long will it take me?
I reserve at least half of one class period to present the Seal of Biliteracy test as a great opportunity! I answer all of their questions and I review the sections of the test. In my district, students take the AAPPL Test. I tell them about each of the 4 sections. And I highlight that they only retest sections they don’t pass on the first try, not the entire test!
How To Have Dedicated Practice
There are 2 ways to create dedicated practice time for the Seal of Biliteracy test prep. I’m going to use the AAPPL test as a guide, but if you use the STAMP test or something else, just substitute that name where you see AAPPL!
Most company websites offer a very short practice test for each of the sections.
I created my own practices that mimic the AAPPL test. If you’re interested, you can see them here.
Pacing is very much up to the teacher. In our district, students pay out of pocket to take the test and must do so on their own time. Therefore, not all students take the test.
Because of that, I usually assign the practice activities in Google Classroom. I make time in my lesson plans for all students to do the listen and respond practice. All of my students do a district benchmark in this style, so it makes sense that everyone practice that.
Then, depending on how things go, I either offer the other sections as optional homework/prep for students taking the AAPPL test, or I assign them as something to work on after X task is done. They are great place holders for fast finishers.
Another strategy is to space them out over the course of a month leading up to sign-ups. You may get more students interested if they have more familiarity with what they will need to do.
So, how much time would it take if the whole class was going to be prepped? Here is my breakdown, using 45 minute classes.
Class 1: Present the opportunity and Q & A. Hand out the sign-up forms and allow them to start. (This could be almost a whole class).
Class 2: Reading: It’s drag and drop, so it’s easy and builds confidence. 20 min.
Class 3: Writing: A whole class
Class 4 & 5: Listen and Respond: I would break this up. It’s usually the most difficult and stressful. I would also teach strategies and the prompt commands. On AAPPL they will hear: “Dame muchos detalles, Cuéntame… and Hazme preguntas”.
Resources
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Reading Skills For the Seal of Biliteracy
Writing Skills For the Seal of Biliteracy
Interpersonal Listening and Speaking Skills for the Seal of Biliteracy
