Volume 3
In the world of ESL, we classify language in two different ways:
BICS : Basic Interpersonal
Communication Skills
Social language
-Basic communication skills
-This develops very quickly, often within the first two years
CALP : Cognitive Academic
Language Proficiency
-This is grade-level content language
-It includes the higher levels of
Bloom’s Taxonomy
-Can often take 5-7 years to develop proficiency with CALP
-So how can we expect ELLs to master grade-level material and take NYS assessments the first year in the country?
Here is a great visual depicting how we view ELLs, and what we actually can see of their language acquisition. The image is of an iceberg, with the
BICS being the portion that we can see; it is actually quite small in comparison. We often think students are proficient English Language speakers, when in actuality it is only the tip of the iceberg. The CALP is the larger portion, which is difficult to see and measure. We cannot assume that a student has CALP just because his/her BICS are so well-developed. Also notice the BICS/CALP

in the first AND second language. A student may also be under-developed in both areas in the home language.