ESL-7600 v2

Cummins, J. (1999). BICS and CALP: Clarifying the distinction. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED438551.pdf
In this seminal article, Cummins emphasizes that while students may quickly develop conversational fluency, achieving academic language proficiency takes significantly longer. Cummins argues that conflating these distinct aspects of language proficiency can lead to misconceptions and educational challenges for bilingual students. To address this, he advocates for instructional programs that focus on cognitive skills, academic content, and critical language awareness to better support bilingual learners.

Studentacheivementsolutions. (2023). BICS and CALP: Supporting the language needs of English language learners. Center for Student Achievement Solutions. https://www.studentachievementsolutions.com/bics-and-calp-supporting-the-language-needs-of-english-language-learners/
In this online article, the authors differentiate between BICS and CALP. They further emphasize the importance of avoiding misidentifying ELs for special education because of this lack of differentiation. They suggest strategies like using visuals, sentence frames, and chunking text to support CALP development.

Coxhead, Averil. (2000). A new academic word list. TESOL Quarterly, 34, 213-238.
In this seminal article, the author describes the process of creating an updated academic word list. They emphasize that EL students can benefit from a targeted focus on terms used most often in university dialogue and in documents.

Harrison, J., & Lakin, J. (2018). Pre-service teachers’ implicit and explicit beliefs about English language learners: An implicit association test study. Teaching and Teacher Education, 72, 54–63.
Pre-service teachers' attitudes toward EL students inform their instruction as they enter increasingly diverse classrooms. In this study, the authors found that participants generally hold positive perceptions and expectations regarding EL students and school support. However, they suggest that implicit association measures could be valuable for teacher preparation and assessing interventions aimed at enhancing readiness to support EL students.

Bacon, C. K. (2020). “It’s Not Really My Job”: A Mixed Methods Framework for Language Ideologies, Monolingualism, and Teaching Emergent Bilingual Learners. Journal of Teacher Education, 71(2), 172–187.
In this article, a framework that explores how monolingual ideologies shape educational policy, practice, and teacher preparation, identifying key contextual factors that may influence these beliefs in practice are explored. As teacher education programs are increasing efforts to prepare a largely monolingual teaching force for linguistic diversity, specialized training on this topic may be needed.

Colorín Colorado. (2018, March 21). Terms to know: BISC and CALP [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiknKt0PTME
In this video, the presenter explains the difference between the terms BICS and CALP and how they relate to social vs. academic language.

Academic Word List. (n.d.) The Learning Center. https://www.jcu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/1015348/Academic-Word-List.pdf
The Academic Word List (AWL) is a compilation of 570 word families frequently used in academic texts across disciplines, developed by Averil Coxhead in 2000. It is divided into 10 sub-lists, with the most common words appearing in the first sub-list and less frequent but still essential words in later sub-lists. The AWL helps English learners, especially those in ESL/EFL settings, develop the academic vocabulary needed for reading, writing, and comprehension in higher education. By incorporating explicit vocabulary instruction, contextual learning, and word analysis activities, educators can support students in mastering academic language essential for success in academic settings.