World Language Credit Testing

World Language Assessment for Students Who Acquired Language Proficiency Outside of the Classroom

Seattle Public Schools offers World Language Credit Testing in-person at our middle and high school sites on dates the schools decide as well as some remote testing for enrolled students. Contact your schools World Language team for in-person testing dates and times.

Our district team also provides several remote testing opportunities as well. Your testing date and time will be confirmed through your students’ Seattle Schools email two weeks prior to testing. Student must use their Seattle Schools assigned laptop and have the language keyboard installed before the assessment begins.

In order to create as many testing opportunities as possible for students you will be asked to confirm by email in order to secure your testing spot. Please check your student’s SPS email and respond to confirm prior to testing. Again, in-person testing is offered through out the year at our middle and high schools. If you would like to test in-person please check with your school for dates and times, these often take place during the school day.

“The goal of Competency-based Credit (CbC) is to help students with proficiency in a language other than English earn high school world language credits by demonstrating proficiency in that language at a level comparable to what a student in a regular high school world language course might demonstrate.“
OSPI

Test Registration / Sign-up Information

Before registering, please note the following:

Students must be able to read, write and speak in the language in order to earn credit.
Students can only earn world language credit for either the test credit or taking a class in the same language, not both.
Students who are taking Dual Language Japanese, Spanish or Mandarin Language Arts in middle school will automatically receive High school world language credit. This is the same for students taking World Language, or high school math courses in middle school as well. Families who wish to have the credit and grades removed may opt to have the courses removed from their transcript and have until the end of Junior year to decide. Once removed courses cannot be re-added.
To earn the Seal of Biliteracy, students must meet all graduation requirements in addition to earning qualifying exam scores. The Seal is noted on the students transcript after the student graduates.
By registering for and taking the World Language credit test, you are agreeing that qualifying credits with a grade of P for passing will be added to your students transcript if they have not already earned credit in the same language. If you have questions about how colleges, universities, or the NCAA might treat these courses and grades please contact the Admissions team of the colleges your student is interested in attending.
Testing is not guaranteed, testing is available based on funding, and other resource availability.

High schools and middle schools also offer testing in-person during the school day, after school and occasionally on weekends. Please contact your school for details.

Test Dates for 2026-2027

Students will receive a confirmation email one to two weeks before the test date that has availability.

November 7, 2026
January 23, 2027
March 13, 2027

If you wish to request to remote test please complete the registration with your Seattle Schools’ account.

Results

Testing results may take 8 to 10 weeks for processing.

What languages can a student test in?

Seattle Public Schools currently uses the Avant STAMP vendor for the majority of our world language competency credit testing. They provide a list on their website of languages provided, which they regularly update.

We also offer ASL testing and you can register for that by completing the same registration above.

Do you speak a language that is not listed?
Please register. Custom testing may be available. Please register at your home school or through the district weekend testing and we will connect with you about your language request.

Students Earn Credits: How does it work?

Take a moment to think about your current language skills in the language that you want to test in (not English). If you can answer “Yes, I can do this fairly easily” to some of the statements, then you will likely earn at least 1-2 credits when you take the language test. If you can answer “Yes, I can do this very easily” to all of the statements, then you may be able to earn 3-4 credits when you get tested. You have to complete reading, writing, speaking and listening parts of the test to qualify for credits.

I am a Seattle Public School student.
I can understand ideas on familiar topics expressed through phrases, short sentences, and frequently used expressions. [Listening]
I can understand the main idea and some details in texts that contain familiar vocabulary
I can speak and exchange information with another person about familiar tasks, topics and activities.
I can use a series of phrases and sentences to provide basic information about familiar topics.
I can write simple descriptions and short paragraphs; request or provide information on familiar topics in writing.

Different languages use different tests, once you register either at your home school or for district weekend testing the testing staff will set up the test for your language.

Learn more about the tests:

Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency (STAMP) offered through Avant Assessment. (Try out the Sample Tests.) The STAMP test typically takes about approximate 40 minutes per section. Avant includes testing for ASL.
WorldSpeak offered through Avant Assessment. The format is similar to STAMP but just tests Writing and Speaking.
ALTA Writing Skills Assessment and Speaking and Listening Assessment offered through ALTA Language Services, is a timed test.
Custom tests in Writing and Speaking for other languages not available through Avant, LTI, or ALTA offered through the Washington Association for Language Teaching ( WAFLT Custom Testing).

Students may take world language credit assessments twice, additional testing beyond that cannot be guaranteed.

After you complete the test for your language, Seattle Schools should receive your test results within several weeks. The Seattle Schools Office of ML and International Programs will provide an email to your students’ SPS email address indicating proficiency levels attained in the tested language and high school credit equivalencies based on the recommendations in the state’s Model Procedure for competency-based credits. School registrars and the school world language credit testing contact will have access to scores.

Students cannot be provided credit if they have already taken classes and earned credit in the same language they are testing in. However, students may still want to test to earn the Seal of biliteracy. Competency credits will be provided based on how many class credits have been or will be earned in the future.

Credit will be granted if students meet the following levels of proficiency across the language skills tested for each language:

Novice Mid earns 1 credit
Novice High earns 2 credits
Intermediate Low earns 3 credits
Intermediate Mid earns 4 credits

Families may need to request that the credits be added to your students’ transcript, you can request this through your schools registrar.

Note: If you qualify for 4 competency-based credits, that means you are considered “Proficient” in your language and you meet the language criterion for earning the Seal of Biliteracy. Your transcript will be updated to reflect that fact after your testing is complete. When you graduate, your transcript will be updated to show that the Seal of Biliteracy was “Earned” for your language.