When you go out to the field early in the morning, you can see droplets of water roundly clinging to the taro leaves that were rained on overnight. Those droplets do not soak into the leaves and simply roll off. Lately, when I hear the concerns of Korean parents around me, that scene keeps coming to mind.

They worry about how to showcase their child's Korean language skills, which are quite good at home, in college applications. They fear that the skills ingrained in their child might roll away like those droplets without leaving a trace on the application.

In the past, the answer was simple. There was a SAT Subject Test called Korean with Listening. It was a test where you had to bring a CD player to the exam room because of the listening component.

However, on January 19, 2021, the College Board announced the immediate discontinuation of the SAT Subject Tests in the U.S. The tests for international candidates were also phased out by that summer. In its last year, 2020, there were 20 subject tests, 12 of which were foreign languages.

Many people ask if they can substitute with AP Korean. Unfortunately, the College Board still does not offer an AP Korean subject. While there are AP tests for Chinese and Japanese, Korean is left out, which is honestly a bit disappointing.

Therefore, the most realistic option these days is the Seal of Biliteracy, which officially recognizes proficiency in two languages at a high level upon high school graduation.

The Hawaii State Board of Education adopted this policy on June 16, 2015. At that time, Hawaii was the tenth state to implement this certification.

The criteria in Hawaii are a bit special. You must demonstrate proficiency in one of the state's official languages, English or Hawaiian, and at least one other language at a high level. You can qualify if you are proficient in both official languages, English and Hawaiian.

This made me pause for a moment. Hawaiian, which was once banned in schools, has now become a key part of graduation certification. It seems that the seeds long held by the land are finally sprouting again.

How can one prove their Korean language skills? According to the guidelines for Hawaii public high schools, several tests are recognized.

The first is the Avant STAMP test. You must score at least 5 points in each area: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. STAMP 4S includes Korean.

The second is the ACTFL's Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Writing Proficiency Test (WPT). You need to achieve a rating of Intermediate Mid or higher in each area.

While a score of 3 or higher on the AP language test is also recognized, as mentioned earlier, Korean is not included. Ultimately, if your child speaks Korean, it makes sense to look into STAMP or ACTFL.

There are also conditions for English. You must meet one of the established criteria, such as having a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in English courses or scoring at least level 3 on the Smarter Balanced test.

In Hawaii, this applies to graduating students attending public or charter schools. If you are attending a private school, I recommend first asking your school counselor if there are alternative options available.

It's also important to remember that criteria vary by state. The tests recognized, required scores, and application timelines differ. Checking directly with the school's testing coordinator is the quickest way to get accurate information.

Testing isn't the only avenue. The Common App has a separate section for listing languages. You need to indicate whether it's your first language, if you can speak, read, and write in it, and whether it's the language you use at home.

Honesty is crucial here. If you can speak but struggle with writing, it's best to leave the writing section blank. Three accurate checks are more trustworthy than one inflated check.

Then you can add your experiences on top of that. For example, you might mention that you interpreted during video calls with your grandmother or taught younger siblings at a Korean language school.

What colleges are really interested in is not just the score but what you have done with that language. A language comes alive only when it is used.

When farming, the roots are not visible. However, if the leaves are lush, anyone can guess the roots beneath the ground. You can showcase your Korean language skills in the same way.

If I were a parent, I would do this. I would take a test like STAMP around 10th grade to identify which areas are weak.

Then, I would work consistently on the weak area, usually writing, for about a year. I would take the test again in the senior year to get certified and briefly include that process in the application.

However, certification does not guarantee acceptance. Each college weighs this certification differently, and there are not many publicly available criteria.

Still, I believe there is no downside. It provides an opportunity for the child to assess their own language skills. That alone is meaningful.

The disappearance of the SAT Korean test is undoubtedly disappointing. However, just because one door has closed doesn't mean the path has ended.

In the evening, when the sky over Mauna Kea turns red, I think about this: what we want to pass on to our children is not just test scores, but the ability to share feelings with their grandmother through language.

Do you want your child's Korean to remain just a line on an application, or do you want it to be a language they use for a lifetime?