Dallas ISD Has a New Site. Which Looks Nice ...

I have no reason to.by the way, this is an interesting read: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/t...

You really dislike DISD don't you?

I think you just proved my point.  If there is not an agreed upon definition (I think I count at least 8 references to what biliterate may be), it's not something generally accepted as an existing word into a commonly recognized dictionary.  But then again, I guess that makes it easier for DISD for one to become biliterate, as there is no common definition for it, who is a student to argue that he/she didn't receive proper education.

Arguing over semantics is one thing.Meanwhile, the trustees continue to misspend millions (with an m) of taxpayer dollars, thus killing job growth in Dallas and housing values.

I am troubled by your narrow minded thinking. May you have never heard of it, but many scholars have. Here is a brief discussion of biliteracy:      2.1. Biliteracy definitionsEarly scholars of biliteracy, such as Goodman, Goodman and Flores (1979), aswell as Fishman (1980), defined biliteracy as mastery of reading and writing intwo languages. Some scholars, retaining the notion of literacy as singular, didnot refer to the term biliteracy and spoke instead of literacy and bilingualism(Williams and Snipper  1990)  or  of literacy  across languages and cultures(Ferdman, Weber  and Ramírez  1994). Most of  these  studies, as we  will seebelow, focused on the  acquisition of literacy in a  powerful second language.Dworin ( 2003: 171) defined biliteracy as “children’s literate competencies intwo languages, to whatever  degree, developed either  simultaneously or successively.”  Reyes (2001: 98)  also defined biliteracy as mastery, but sheextended the concept to mean:From Biliteracy to Pluriliteracies4mastery of the fundamentals of speaking, reading, and writing (knowingsound/ symbol connections, conventions of print, accessing and conveyingmeaning through oral or print mode, etc.) in two linguistic systems. It alsoincludes constructing meaning by making relevant cultural and linguisticconnections with print and the learners’own lived experiences … as well asthe interaction of the two linguistic systems to make meaning.Broader  definitions of  biliteracy have  been proposed by Pérez  andTorres–Guzmán (1996) and Lüdi (1997). Pérez  and Torres–Guzmán (1996:54)  defined biliteracy as “the  acquisition and learning of  the  decoding andencoding of and around print using two linguistic and cultural systems in orderto convey messages in a variety of contexts.”Basing his understandings on Street’s work (discussed below), Lüdi(1997: 207) proposed a broad definition of biliteracy as:the possession of, or access to, the competences and information required toaccomplish literacy practices which an individual wishes to – or is compelledto – engage in in everyday situations in two languages, with theircorresponding functions and in the corresponding cultural contexts,independently of the degree of mastery and the mode of acquisition (italics inthe original).Biliteracy, as defined by Hornberger, its most perceptive  scholar,describes “the  use  of  two or  more  languages in and around writing”(Hornberger 2003: xii)  or  “any and all instances in which communicationoccurs in two or  more  languages in or  around writing”  (Hornberger  1990:213). Hornberger adapts the  definition of  “literacy event”  given by Heath(1982: 83) as “any occasion in which a piece of writing is integral to the nature of  participants’interactions and their interpretative  processes”  in a  bilingualcontext. But precisely because  bilingualism  and biliteracy are  so complex,Hornberger speaks of biliteracy “instances,” encompassing not only events, butalso “biliterate  actors, interactions, practices, activities, programs, situations,societies, sites, worlds”  (Hornberger  2003: xiii; Hornberger  and Skilton–Sylvester  2000: 98; Hornberger  2000: 362). And Hornberger proposes amultifaceted model of a “continua of biliteracy,” which we describe below.

Handbook of Applied Linguistics on Multilingual Communication.Mouton.  2006

TimCov, I don't dispute that words that are not in a dictionary are used, and the more frequent those words are used, the more common those words become, the quicker they are added to a dictionary.  However, my point was about a school district using words that are not generally accepted as proper English on official media.As you yourself state, definitions change over time, but what defines a word?  That's where a dictionary comes in.  Biliterate doesn't mean a thing to me (MS Word doesn't even recognize it); it may mean two languages for one, it may mean multi-lingual for others; it may be limited to verbal communication, to written communication, maybe even sign language.  Without a proper definition that is agreed upon (i.e. in an accepted dictionary), it's just letters without a meaning.  

Schools should walk the walk and talk the talk, which in this case means that they should use proper English in their communications; that's all I meant to say.

You mean made up words like internet, fax or any of a dozen other technical terms? All of these started outside of the dictionary and then were added after they people had started using them. The only language that would not use words found in a dictionary is Latin. And, that is because it is a dead language. Languages adapt and change over time. Compare 21st century English to 17th century English and you will find a great many words that have been added or changed meaning in the intervening years. References such as dictionaries are trailing indicators of what words are used in a language, 

It would be one thing if you were complaining about them using the word irregardless. This is a word that should not be used because it contradicts itself and is specifically mentioned in English grammar texts as something that should not be used. Biliterate is a word that has come into common usage over the past several years and adds precision to our speech and the meaning of what we are attempting to say.

...and yes, OMG is in Webster's dictionary http://www.merriam-webster.com...

OMG, Yes, an should have been a; 2 is multiple, so technically I'm correct.And for the record, I'm not a SCHOOL, I'm an individual not in any way related to education.

You sound ridiculous."But the point is..an school should teach proper English, not made-up words. "   Your sentence criticizing the school's use of English is not grammatically  correct.  The "an"  should be an  "a".Bilingual does not mean fluent in multiple languages  it means fluent in two languages. Multilingual is fluent in multiple languages, neither term addresses written language. I am not normally a stickler on these types of things, but your narrow-minded post brought it out in me. I hope I have not fallen prey to missing the snark factor.

You're kidding me, right? Bilingual means just that...fluent in multiple languages..it doesn't specify verbal or written.  But the point is..an school should teach proper English, not made-up words.  Let's take your approach to a different field, say accounting.  Although it's not an approved accounting method, let's use an unapproved accounting method.  I believe that was the downfall of Enron (who did get it's new accounting method approved but that was later revoked).

How do you think words get added to dictionaries. They are invented, come into common use and are then added to the dictionary. Can you think of another word to replace biliterate (meaning fluent in written communication for two languages)?