Woburn schools earn state's biliteracy gold star award

Woburn Public Schools has received the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy Gold Star Award, Superintendent Matthew Crowley announced. The award recognizes the district's commitment to expanding multilingual achievement and equitable access to language learning opportunities.

Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez presented the award during the Commonwealth's inaugural Seal of Biliteracy Gold Star Awards ceremony on Monday, Oct. 26. Woburn's Multilingual Director Rania Caldwell attended the ceremony to accept the award on behalf of the district.

To earn the recognition, Woburn had to meet the state's benchmarks for Seal of Biliteracy achievement, which include awarding the Seal to at least 100 students or 20% of graduating seniors while also meeting equity benchmarks that track increases in Seal awards among English Learners and students formerly classified as English Learners.

The Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy honors students who demonstrate proficiency in two or more languages, including American Sign Language, with an official endorsement on their academic transcripts. Students who earn the Seal qualify for college credits at many Massachusetts public institutions and gain additional preparation in communication skills for the workforce.

The district credited the achievement to ongoing collaboration between its Multilingual Learner Department and World Language Department.

"We are incredibly proud to receive this recognition, which reflects our commitment to celebrating the cultures and experiences that make Woburn special," Crowley said. "I want to thank our Multilingual Learner Department, Katherine Escobar and our World Language Department for their dedication to ensuring more students have the opportunity to earn the Seal of Biliteracy."

Source: Woburn Public Schools announcement, October 29, 2026.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the original announcement.