The Nevada Department of Education is collaborating with the Great Basin tribes to enable students who demonstrate proficiency in a Native American language to earn the Nevada State Seal of Biliteracy. In July, the department and tribal leaders held workshops at the Nevada Museum of Art to develop student assessments for gauging proficiency.
The initiative aims to provide students with a pathway to earn the Seal of Biliteracy in Paiute, Western Shoshone, and Washoe languages. Assessments for these languages are expected to be available by the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
“The languages of the Great Basin tribes are integral to Native culture and traditions,” said Jhone Ebert, Superintendent of Public Instruction. “This expansion represents a step forward in language preservation and the recognition of Native American languages as an educational asset.”
Created in 2015 through NRS 388.591, the Seal of Biliteracy allows graduating high school students to earn distinction by demonstrating proficiency in one or more languages besides English. Thousands have earned this seal in over 45 languages, with numbers increasing annually.
Four school districts—Washoe, Humboldt, Mineral, and Elko counties—are incorporating or working towards implementing Paiute and Western Shoshone language classes into their schools. However, no exams currently exist for recognizing Great Basin tribal languages.
To create these assessments, the Nevada Department of Education is collaborating with tribal leaders who are subject matter experts. During July’s workshops, tribal elders and representatives from seven northern tribes worked on developing listening, speaking, reading, and writing components for exams in Paiute, Western Shoshone, and Washoe languages. Additional participants assisted elders by creating recordings for listening and speaking components.
