BICS vs CALPS

Question 1

Social language proficiency

Answer 1

consists of the English needed for daily social interactions.

Question 2

Academic language proficiency

Answer 2

consists of the English needed to think critically, understand and learn new concepts, process complex academic material, and interact and communicate in English academic settings.

Question 3

Utilizing the sutdents’ basic interpersonal communicative skills (BICS) to help connect to the more challenging cognitive academic language proficiency skills (CALP) is

Answer 3

an important step that teachers facilitate in the classroom

Question 4

BICS -

Answer 4

Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (Social)
- contextual
- casual, practical, everyday
- express wants/needs, makes jokes, greetings, agree/disagree, personal conversations
- 2 to 3 years to reach native fluency

Question 5

CALP -

Answer 5

cognitive academic language proficiency (Academic)
- more abstract
- higher vocabulary
- textbook/formal language
- 5-7 years to achieve native fluency

Question 6

BICS vs CALP is sometimes viewed as an

Answer 6

Iceberg
While students may be progressing well with their BICS, a teacher needs to look deeper and ensure progress in the CALPs

Question 7

Remember that L1 can

Answer 7

support L2. There are areas of shared understanding that support each language.

Question 8

Cummin’s Iceberg Model of Language Interdependence (CULP)

Answer 8

areas of shared understanding that support each language

Question 9

In order for ELLs to be successful, they must acquire both

Answer 9

social and academic language proficiency in English

Question 10

Effective instruction involves giving ELLs

Answer 10

opportunities to listen, speak, read, and write at their current level of English development while gradually increasing the linguistic complexity of the English they read and hear and are expected to speak and write.

Question 11

CALP requires more

Answer 11

direct instruction