How St. Louis University High Achieved Record Seal of Biliteracy Results

Customer

St. Louis University High

Date

February 2026

Use Cases

Test Prep, Standards Alignment, Progress Reports
St. Louis University High
St. Louis University High (SLUH) is a Jesuit college preparatory school dedicated to forming young men who are intellectually inspired, open to growth, faith-driven, and committed to serving others. Guided by more than 200 years of Jesuit tradition, SLUH fosters a pursuit of excellence that extends beyond academics, cultivating leadership, integrity, and a lifelong commitment to justice. SLUH offers an inclusive environment where each student is respected, challenged, and supported. A robust range of co-curricular opportunities complements rigorous academics, enabling students to discover and develop their God-given talents in a spirit-filled setting.
The Challenge

Speaking Skills Lagging Behind Other Domains

Data Collection Gaps: Need for data collection and progress tracking to monitor student growth and inform instruction.

Speaking Performance Gap: Current data showed below-average performance in speaking compared to listening, reading, and writing.

Assessment Preparation Needs: Students needed better preparation for the Seal of Biliteracy and proficiency tests.

Lack of Unified Strategy: Teachers lacked a specific, unified strategy for improving speaking across languages.

The Solution

Targeted Speaking Skills Development

ACTFL-Aligned Assessment - Integrated ACTFL standards directly into daily instruction and assessment practices.

Unified Speaking Strategy - Provided a consistent methodology across all language departments for speaking skill development.

Seal of Biliteracy Preparation - Structured speaking practice specifically designed to prepare students for high-stakes proficiency assessments.

Cross-Language Implementation - Scalable solution that worked across multiple language programs.

The Impact

The Focused Approach Delivered Record-Breaking Results

Record Seal of Biliteracy Achievement - 80 students achieved the Missouri Seal of Biliteracy.

Improved Focus on Speaking Skills - Targeted approach to address the speaking performance gap.

Enhanced Assessment Preparation - Better preparation for Seal of Biliteracy and proficiency tests.

"After seeing our students' speaking and writing scores on National Proficiency exams consistently rank below the national average, we decided to focus on these skills. But where to start? We tried Speakable and were amazed at the difference it made. We had a record eighty students achieve the Missouri Seal of Biliteracy."

— Kate Toussaint, Chair, Department of Modern and Classical Languages

See Speakable in Action

See how Speakable helps students speak and write more often, while giving leaders a simple way to monitor growth over time.