In 2015, President Obama signed the reauthorization of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), a significant United States education policy. ESSA replaced the No Child Left Behind Act, preserving certain aspects of standardized testing while introducing newfound flexibility for states and local educational agencies in shaping their accountability systems and school improvement strategies. In response to this federal mandate, state education departments have been integrating two performance indicators into their accountability plan, a Seal of Biliteracy (SoBL) and a Seal of Civic Readiness (SoCR). Although the seals indicate a growing emphasis on critical inquiry, civic engagement, and the importance of linguistic diversity in a global economy, the rapid adoption gives reason for pause, as there is limited research indicating the effectiveness of either seal. By analyzing lessons learned from a collaborative partnership between a higher education institution and a local educational agency implementing the seals, this paper provides professional commentary highlighting the intersection of macro-level policy with micro-level practices and raises concerns related to the accessibility and the equity of current seal implementation models. Additionally, it calls for educational researchers to use the seals as a way to examine the impact of policy mandates from the mega, macro, and micro environments.