World Languages

For course listings, please see the Academic Catalog.

The World Languages Division provides instruction in Latin, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese. A four-year program is offered in all seven languages, as well as a fifth-year Advanced Placement level in French and Spanish. An Advanced Literature and Composition course is taught in Spanish for heritage speakers. The division also offers one-semester courses in Etymology and World Languages and Cultures. If needed, a special program in English Language Learning (ELL) is provided for qualifying students whose native language is not English.

Seal of Biliteracy

This year Oak Park and River Forest High School will once again award the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy to students who have attained a high level of proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English.  This Seal of Biliteracy is a national recognition, and students meeting the requirements of the Seal of Biliteracy will receive this designation on their transcripts as well as their diplomas.

In order to obtain the Seal of Biliteracy, a student must show proficiency in both English and a second language.  The Seal of Biliteracy is awarded to those seniors enrolled in a fourth-year honors or AP language class who demonstrate proficiency in English and whose second-language proficiency level is equivalent to Intermediate-High, as determined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

To qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy by their senior year of high school, students must:

Demonstrate proficiency in English by:

• Earning a minimum score of 4 in the Advanced Placement (AP) English Exam
• Earning a minimum score of 21 Reading/Writing in the ACT exam
• Earning a minimum score of 540 Reading/Writing in the SAT exam
• Earning a minimum overall score of 4.8 on the ACCESS 2.0 for ELLs exam
• Earning a minimum score of I-5 requirement in each domain (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing) in the AAPPL English Exam, OR
• Earning an Intermediate-high score requirement in each domain (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing) in the STAMP 4S English Exam

Demonstrate proficiency in a Foreign Language by:

• Earning a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) language exam taken prior to this school OR
• Earn a minimum score of I-5 on the ACTFL’s Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) exam. The following languages can be assessed with the AAPPL exam: Arabic, Mandarin (Simplified or Traditional), French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Thai, OR
• Earning a minimum score of Intermediate-High in the Avant’s STAMP 4S language proficiency exam. The following languages can be assessed and accepted by IPSD 204 with the STAMP 4S exam: Hebrew and Polish

For more information about the Seal of Biliteracy, please contact World Languages Division Head Claudia Sahagun at csahagun@oprfhs.org.