K-12 education in the United States should provide students with the tools and knowledge to excel in school and beyond. Of course, this includes K-12 students who aren’t native speakers of English, and who deserve the same opportunities to excel.
It’s likely that you have encountered at least some of the acronyms that are used to describe and serve this population. However, these acronyms continue to evolve as needs and perspectives change, which is why I’d like to share with you this short glossary of the most common and useful acronyms used to serve non-native speakers of English in K-12 education today.
BICS – Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills. Face-to-face language ability that depends on situational context and may include gestures or other visual cues. It is often called social English and is contrasted with the more rigorous demands of academic English (see CALP).
CALP – Cognitive/Academic Language Proficiency. Language ability needed to participate in the K-12 classroom where less context and environmental cues are available, such as in classroom explanations and lectures, and textbook reading. Also called academic English.
EB – Emergent Bilingual. This term is currently used in Illinois to refer to an English Learner. However, it is gaining momentum in other places, as proponents believe that the term puts more of an emphasis on a student’s strengths, rather than on perceived deficits.
EL – English Learner. A K-12 student who currently has difficulties with reading, writing, speaking and/or understanding English in such a way that it prevents them from meeting K-12 academic standards, successfully participating in an English-language classroom and being able to engage with American society at large. An EL experiences these difficulties as a result of specific formative circumstances. These include: not being born in the US and having a native language other than English; having moved from place to place, having a native language other than English and having spent a significant amount of time in non-English environments; or being an Alaska Native or Native American who has spent a significant amount of time in a non-English environment. Many people in K-12 education currently prefer the term English Learner to English Language Learner.
ELL – English Language Learner. See EL: English Learner.
LEP – Limited English Proficient. In K-12 education this term has largely been replaced in favor of English Learner (EL). However, many people still use LEP to describe parents or guardians who have limited English communication skills.
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