All Glendale Unified students are eligible to receive a Glendale Unified Bilingual Competency Award commendation, which includes a Certificate of Competency, a silver or gold medallion, and a seal on their diploma. Students may receive a Bilingual Competency Award in more than one language.

Bilingual Competency Awards

• Silver Medallion - for students who demonstrate competency in English and one other language
• Gold Medallion - for students who demonstrate competency in English and two or more other languages

Additionally, qualifying students may receive a California State "Seal of Biliteracy" designation on their official transcript.

Application Process

Students wishing to receive a Bilingual Competency Award must register for the Bilingual Competency Examination during the spring semester of their 11th or 12th grade year. In order to receive a Bilingual Competency Award, students must demonstrate language competency in one or more foreign languages, successfully complete all high school graduation requirements in English, and achieve an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher.

Students can demonstrate language competency and receive a Bilingual Competency Award by completing any one of the following:

• Receive a score of 3 or higher on the Advanced Placement (AP) exam for foreign language.
• Successfully complete the Glendale Unified School District four-year course of study in the same foreign language, receiving a GPA of 3.0 in those foreign language classes.
• Complete the highest course of study in a Glendale Unified School District world language course with a grade of “B” or better.
• Pass a foreign government’s approved language exam and receive a diploma/certificate of competency for that (non-English) language from the authorizing government agency.
• Pass the Glendale Unified Bilingual Competency Examination. The examination is offered in Arabic, Armenian, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Tagalog.