Pilot program certifying bilingual skills is a joint initiative between the Foreign Language Educators of New Jersey and the New Jersey Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/New Jersey Bilingual Educators, or NJTESOL/NJBE. The goal is to give students an extra skill that will help them get jobs or credit in college. It began last year with seven districts.

Jason Marcial Sotelo, 19, came to America from Mexico, so it’s not unusual for people to think he speaks Spanish.

But the Egg Harbor Township High School senior has something most other students do not — a certificate of biliteracy proving he can speak, write and read fluently in both Spanish and English.

“It says a lot about me,” he said, proudly. “A lot of people speak Spanish. But I’m certified in it.”

Marcial is one of 34 EHT students who passed a standardized exam and received the Seal of Biliteracy as part of a pilot program to encourage students to become fluent in multiple languages.

Egg Harbor Township, Vineland and Ocean City are among 12 districts statewide in the program. A bill in the state Legislature, approved by the Assembly Education Committee on June 4, would establish a formal Seal of Biliteracy within the Department of Education to be included with student transcripts.

For students, the certificate already is having an effect. Those interviewed at EHT High School said they are often asked at job interviews if they are bilingual, and now they can prove it.

“I was asked at a job interview if I was really bilingual,” said Awilda Gaud, 18. “I brought my certificate with me. It shows how I rated in each area.”

The pilot program is a joint initiative between the Foreign Language Educators of New Jersey and the New Jersey Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/New Jersey Bilingual Educators, or NJTESOL/NJBE. The goal is to give students an extra skill that will help them get jobs or credit in college. It began last year with seven districts.

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