The 2025-2026 school year has brought many new ideas to academics. One being students taking Spanish III are taking The Seal of Biliteracy test this February instead of waiting to take it in Spanish IV. Though students see this as a daunting task, teachers are looking at this test as a beneficial thing for students.
Ana-Cara Van Dyck is a current Spanish III and Heritage Spanish teacher. She has been looking forward to seeing how her students’ results look. Preparation for the STAMP test started the first day of Spanish I and has continued based on the students’ effort within their classes. While the world language department has expectations for the preparation of students, they are giving students review of important connection words and basic vocabulary that would be beneficial to students on the test.
“The greatest benefit for Spanish III students taking the STAMP test will be to understand their level of language proficiency along a spectrum of bilingualism. This will help any student know what to anticipate when taking the Spanish test in Spanish IV,almost like a practice SAT or AP exam, and to understand what areas for growth they should focus on in their language acquisition,” said Van Dyck.
Many students have shared concerns about the effect that the STAMP test will have on their class grade. Most of this worry coming from students is caused by lack of personal preparation without realizing it. The best thing that students can do in preparation is personal accountability in attending their language classes and being involved in each class.
“I would encourage students to always put in the effort inside and outside of class to perform to the best of their ability in any subject. This will ensure all students continue to learn, grow, and achieve their goals in any summative measure of proficiency,” said Van Dyck.
The goal of the STAMP test isn’t to affect students’ grades poorly but simply to continue representing students’ language proficiency through their grade. Students have access to practice STAMP tests and this is an important resource that can help students get acquainted and feel prepared for the upcoming STAMP test.
