Academic Language for English Language Learners and Struggling Readers: How to Help Students Succeed Across Content Areas Book

CH 1

BICS- Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills
CALP- Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency

BICS is an important concept to understand right away because a student's BICS can be misleading. The chapter starts out posing the question: who is an ELL? Students usually acquire strong BICS because they are usually immersed in the English Language at their schools. Immersion works in strengthening BICS but that does not mean that a student's CALP is as strong. Misleading BICS can lead to a student being placed outside of ELL support systems. "They are 'equipped with the social skills in English' and 'appear in conversation to be native English speakers'; 'however, they are usually less skilled in the academic language associated with school success" p. 7.

"More first-language knowledge equals more English."

LEP- Limited English Proficient
Long-term English Learners are students who have been in schools in the United States for seven or more years and speak English quite well. Many are not designated as LEP but should be according to NCLB. Many of these students are strong in BICS but lack necessary CALP.

Limited Formal Schooling (LFS) students come with limited academic knowledge and limited English proficiency. "Because they do not have academic English or the academic background to draw upon in their native languages, they often struggle with course work in English and receive low scores on standardized tests." p. 9

Standard English Learners (SELS) understand Standard English but do not speak it. "They 'are those students for whom Standard English is not native and whose home language differs in structure and form from standard academic English'" p. 10

57% of LEPs are US born
27% of all LEPs are second generation
30% are third generation

CH 2

CUP- Common Underlying Proficiency
CUP is an important concept to understand as well because it highlights the important (and often neglected) idea that a student's first language serves as the best avenue for learning academic information. They may actually understand a topic in class but be unable to articulate it in English speaking or writing. This happens when their CUP is embedded in their first language.

Appropriate Program Placement comes from a good understanding of a student's CUP. "In late-exit programs, students develop academic language and concepts in their first languages that then transfer to English. Bilingual students in late-exit programs develop academic language in both their first languages and English." p. 41 In other words, if a student is learning algebra in English while they are still learning English they will miss out on important instructional data as well as CALP. If a student learns algebra in their home language they are not missing out on instruction while learning English, especially in dual language programs where they learn subjects in both languages.