BICS and CALP Inventory
The multidisciplinary team can use this checklist to help identify an ELL’s basic interpersonal communication skills and
cognitive academic language proficiency in English. Data from the BICS and CALP Inventory can be used to help guide
instruction, language and learning development, as well as direct discussion during the evaluation process.
Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills
BICS Listening
1. Responds non-verbally to instructions
2. Reacts to social greetings
3. Repeats words and phrases
4. Points to classroom items
5. Listens closely to oral presentations and
identifies details verbally and non-verbally
BICS Speaking
6. Repeats words and phrases
7. Names and describes classroom objects
8. Asks questions using one to two-word
phrases
9. Communicates basic needs
10. Initiates social greetings
11. Show use of vocabulary
12. Answers questions with appropriate
simple sentence response
BICS Reading
13. Recognizes basic sight words and
recites the alphabet
14. Matches sounds to letters
English
English
English
15. Identifies beginning and ending
sounds in words
16. Uses spatial skills (top to bottom, left
to right)
17. Self corrects when reading simple
words
18. Keeps a vocabulary notebook
19. Breaks down unfamiliar words
20. Reads for pleasure
BICS Writing
21. Can form all letters of the alphabet
22. Writes name
23. Copies vocabulary
24. Expresses thoughts through
English
L1
Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency
CALP Listening
1. Follow directions for an academic text
2. Understands academic vocabulary
3. Distinguishes sounds for reading
readiness
4. Comprehends multi-step directions
5. Listens to academic discourse and
identifies the main ideas and details
CALP Speaking
6. Uses academic vocabulary
7. Asks for clarification
8. Asks and answers questions about
academic topics
9. Able to give short oral presentations
10. Retells or restates ideas presented in
class
11. Participates freely in class discussion
12. Participates freely in class discussion
CALP Reading
13. Understands rules of punctuation and
capitalization
14. Follows along during oral reading
activities
15. Shows expression while reading
16. Recognizes words with multiple
meanings
17. Uses resources and text features to
gather meaning
18. Identifies stated and inferred meaning
from a text
19. Volunteers to read aloud
20. Understands spatial constraints (top to
bottom, left to right)
CALP Writing
21. Uses both upper and lower case letters
22. Understands the mechanics of writing
(punctuations, paragraphs)
23. Generates simple sentences on
academic topics
24. Uses pre-writing techniques
English
English
English
English
Copyright © 2013, Holly S. Hudspath-Niemi and Mary Lou Conroy. From Implementing Response-to-Intervention to
Address the Needs of English-Language Learners: Instructional Strategies and Assessment Tools for School
Psychologists, by Holly S. Hudspath-Niemi and Mary Lou Conroy (2013). New York: Routledge.
L1
illustrations
25. Write one to two word response
26. Uses models to write sentences
27. Writes familiar words and sentences
without prompting
25. Writes short paragraphs
26. Performs editing tasks
27. Revises feedback
Developed from: Berhard and Loera, (1992); California Department of Education, (1981); Erickson and Omark, (1981); Krashen
and Terrel, (1983)
Copyright © 2013, Holly S. Hudspath-Niemi and Mary Lou Conroy. From Implementing Response-to-Intervention to
Address the Needs of English-Language Learners: Instructional Strategies and Assessment Tools for School
Psychologists, by Holly S. Hudspath-Niemi and Mary Lou Conroy (2013). New York: Routledge.