site.btaStudents at Little Bulgarian School in Chicago Eligible for a Seal of Biliteracy Valid in All US States

Students of the Little Bulgarian School in Chicago can get a seal of biliteracy that is valid in all 50 US states as of this year, the institution's executive director Georgi Petrov told BTA in an interview. After successful completion of a Bulgarian language exam organized by the St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, students receive a certificate to be handed to the administration of their respective high school in the US. The result is recorded on the student's transcript and a gold seal is placed on the diploma.

"This is a federal programme in America that is active in all 50 states as of the beginning of this year and is designed for kids who are in high school and who are proficient in a language other than English," he said. "The kids take an exam that certifies that they are proficient in the second language, and that is printed on their high school diploma and is then a very strong asset when they apply to universities," Petrov added.

The preparation course for this exam is a joint programme of the Little Bulgarian School, the Illinois State Board of Education, Sofia University and the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science. This year, 37 students from the school are registered for the exam.

The Little Bulgarian School was founded in 2010. In 2019, the school purchased a building in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines, where it established the Little Bulgaria Center, which is now home to the largest Bulgarian school in the United States, dance groups, a volleyball academy, theatre plays and concerts.

There is another Bulgarian school in Chicago that is under the same organization, and there are about 700 children in both of them. Classes are held either on Friday night or Saturday in two shifts. Students learn Bulgarian language, history and geography. The certificates, which are issued at the end of the school year, are equivalent to the corresponding grade level in Bulgarian schools.