In addition to the Seal of Biliteracy that marks attainment of high level mastery of two or more languages, schools and districts are also instituting Bilingual Pathway Awards, recognizing significant steps towards developing biliteracy along a student's trajectory from preschool into high school.

In the past ELLs learned through the Sink or Swim method of total English immersion education, not having culturally relevant testing questions, or equitable assessment in schools.

[8] The intent behind the SoBL is that it will "offer a promising policy solution to increase biliteracy among K–12 students, both as a means to promote the maintenance of students' home languages and encourage native English speakers to study additional languages" and make them "attractive to future employers".

[12] The Global Seal of Biliteracy, which was founded in 2018 by Avant Assessment, fills the gaps by offering a language credential to anyone who meets the award criteria.

[14] Many students expressed[clarification needed] a lack of awareness and preparedness until their senior year of high school, and this made them ineligible for the seal.