A majority of U.S. states have established a “Seal of Biliteracy” (SoBL) to recognize students’ multilingualism. Primarily under the purview of bilingual and world language education, the field of literacy research has remained largely silent on these seals. Yet, the authority these seals grant to state institutions for credentialing literacy has substantial implications for literacy research. This study analyzes 23 states that established a SoBL through legislative action. Informed by the study of seals as an ancient literacy practice, we draw on policy and visual discourse analysis to analyze state laws alongside the visual seals themselves. Incorporating theories of whiteness as property, we examine dynamics of racial, linguistic, and educational privilege to put forth a framework of biliteracy as property. Although we laud the growing popularity of the SoBL, we also caution against ceding authority to the state to assess, award, and “authenticate” biliteracy as a form of property.

美国大多数州都建立了“双语印章”（SoBL）来承认学生的多语能力。主要在双语和世界语言教育的范围内，扫盲研究领域对这些印章基本上保持沉默。然而，这些印章授予国家机构扫盲认证的权力对扫盲研究具有重大意义。本研究分析了通过立法行动建立 SoBL 的 23 个州。通过研究印章作为一种古老的识字实践，我们利用政策和视觉话语分析来分析国家法律以及视觉印章本身。结合白人作为财产的理论，我们研究了种族、语言和教育特权的动态，以提出一个双文作为财产的框架。