Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency
Encyclopedia
Cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) is a language-related term which refers to formal academic learning, as opposed to BICS
. In schools today, the terms BICS and CALP are most frequently used to discuss the language proficiency
levels of students who are in the process of acquiring a new language. These students typically develop proficiency in BICS well before they acquire a strong grasp of CALP or academic language. As a result, students may initially appear fully proficient and fluent, while still struggling with significant language gaps. Although the terms BICS and CALP and still widely used, Cummins has more recently used the terms conversational language and academic language.
Instructors of bilingual education
al environments, Cummins tells us, should be mindful that a student's apparent ability to interact at a high cognitive level on the 'street' does not necessarily imply the same cognitive or communications ability in the 'class'.
It is tempting for teachers and administrators to move students with a high BICS(Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills/Social Language Proficiency) level into a 'mainstream' class because they 'sound' like the other kids on the playground.
Jim Cummins
insists that a more thorough assessment of the student's academic language abilities be performed before moving the student out of a 'sheltered' language development environment.
Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills
Basic interpersonal communicative skills are language skills needed to interact in social situations, for example, when speaking to a friend on the telephone...
. In schools today, the terms BICS and CALP are most frequently used to discuss the language proficiency
Language proficiency
Language proficiency or linguistic proficiency is the ability of an individual to speak or perform in an acquired language. As theories vary among pedagogues as to what constitutes proficiency, there is little consistency as to how different organizations classify it...
levels of students who are in the process of acquiring a new language. These students typically develop proficiency in BICS well before they acquire a strong grasp of CALP or academic language. As a result, students may initially appear fully proficient and fluent, while still struggling with significant language gaps. Although the terms BICS and CALP and still widely used, Cummins has more recently used the terms conversational language and academic language.
Instructors of bilingual education
Bilingual education
Bilingual education involves teaching academic content in two languages, in a native and secondary language with varying amounts of each language used in accordance with the program model.-Bilingual education program models:...
al environments, Cummins tells us, should be mindful that a student's apparent ability to interact at a high cognitive level on the 'street' does not necessarily imply the same cognitive or communications ability in the 'class'.
It is tempting for teachers and administrators to move students with a high BICS(Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills/Social Language Proficiency) level into a 'mainstream' class because they 'sound' like the other kids on the playground.
Jim Cummins
Jim Cummins (professor)
Dr. Jim Cummins is a professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto where he works on language development and literacy development of learners of English as an additional language...
insists that a more thorough assessment of the student's academic language abilities be performed before moving the student out of a 'sheltered' language development environment.