Month: July 2016

Have you ever been at a social event where people are talking about something with which you’re not familiar, like fintech, but you’re a little embarrassed to admit you don’t know what it is?

Or worse, when you’re at work and colleagues are using an acronym or educational term that everyone seems to know…except you. You think, As an educator, I should know what he’s talking about so I’m not going to ask. Embarrassing, right? I’ve been there, believe me.

A friend told me the other day that she went through the interview process for her first teaching job. After college she served in the Peace Corps and is bilingual in English and Spanish. She returned to the US and got her teaching credential. She was near tears after an interview for her job of choice because she felt like she blew the interview. “They threw so many terms and acronyms at me that I didn’t know! It was really uncomfortable,” she exclaimed with audible tension in her voice.

We do have a lot of terminology and acronyms in education, and new terms seem to crop up regularly. When it comes to English learners, different terms are used in different geographical regions, certain terms are preferred over others by some groups or organizations, and some terms lack universal agreement on their meaning.

By the way, she got the job. Apparently even educators realize that it takes time and experience to master Educationese.

In this blog, I will attempt to create a primer for those of you who find yourselves perplexed by the wide variety of terms used for students who are not yet fully proficient in academic English and qualify for language support services. (Notice how I had to work hard not to use one of the terms below?!) I’ll do my best to define terms as I understand them; terminology is ever-evolving.

English learners (EL), or English language learners (ELL). These terms are currently most commonly used and are straightforward descriptors of students who are learning the English language used in schools. The terms imply that another language is spoken at home and that these students are in the process of becoming English-proficient.

Limited English proficient (LEP). No longer used because of its connotation that students having the gift of more than one language are somehow “limited.” However, it is an artifact of the past and as such is in federal law, so the exception is that it is used for reporting/accountability purposes.

English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), and English as a second language (ESL). These terms refer to programs but are sometimes applied to students, as in “She is ESOL” or “We have 37 ESL students in fourth grade.”

Second language learner. Used widely internationally and in the literature to indicate a student who is learning the mainstream, or official, language used in a country’s schools. In the U.S., it is English.

English as an Additional Language (EAL) is another term that is used more internationally than in the U.S. but it aptly describes this population. These are children who are adding English to their linguistic repertoire.  English may be their second language or their fifth.

Ever-ELL. This term is used typically for research purposes. It is assigned to a student who has been designated as an English learner at some point in his or her school career. The category accounts for students who become English proficient but at some point were English learners. They are distinct from native English-speaking students.

Never-ELL, English only (EO), or native English speaker. These terms all refer to students whose home language is English and English is the student’s first or native language. Some concern about English Only as a designation is that it connotes monolingualism when that may not be accurate.

Emergent bilingual (EB). Becoming more widely used as another term for a student who is not yet proficient in English but is learning English. The term has an aspirational connotation, implying that these students will end up as bilingual individuals.

Dual language learner (DLL). When referring to young children ages birth to 5 in their homes, communities, or early care and education programs, the term “dual language learners” or “DLLs” is most often used. the term “English learners” or “ELs” is most often used. The term “English learners” or “ELs” is most often used when referring to children ages 5 and older in the pre-K to 12 education system and the term “DLLs/ELs” is often used for the broader group of children and adolescents ages birth to 21.

Speakers of languages other than English (LOTE) or Primary home language other than English (PHLOTE). These terms accurately depict students who have the asset of one or more languages in their repertoire. Not used widely at this point.

Non-English Language Background  (NELB) is a broad term that includes English learners and bilingual/multilingual children and is similar to LOTE and PHLOTE, above.

Linguistically diverse. A broader term that includes students who are not yet proficient in academic English and also those students who speak a non-standard form of English such as speakers of African American vernacular English (AAVE), Creole, or Hawaiian Pidgin English.

Long-term English Learners (LTEL). These students have been enrolled in U.S. schools and designated as English learners for six or more years, many since kindergarten. Definitions and classification criteria vary by state and district. Some specify fewer years as EL or differ on criteria regarding levels of progress toward English proficiency and academic levels.

Students with interrupted formal education (SIFE) and Students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE). These terms are used specifically with Newcomer students who have had interruptions in their educational backgrounds of more than two years or, in the case of SLIFE, may have had limited formal education before enrolling in U.S. schools.

The last two terms are useful for labeling students in particular circumstances so that schools can provide appropriate programs and services for them.

As you can see, we’ve outdone ourselves with the number of terms for students learning English as an additional language. Terms that better describe the unique needs of subgroups of learners are useful, e.g. LTELs, DLL and SIFE. However, it would be helpful to educators and researchers – and students and their parents – to use one universally agreed-upon term for each subgroup rather than a variety of terms for the same students. But, when it comes to acronyms and terminology, if past practice in education is an indicator….I won’t hold my breath.

I’ve been around long enough to remember the prominent and divisive debates about bilingual education and whether or not English should be the only language of instruction in U.S. schools. Some of the arguments — both for and against — were as steeped in ideology as they were in fact, but that is often the case with issues that hit folks at the core of what they think should and shouldn’t be. Things have simmered down a bit and it seems that discourse around bilingualism tends to be more about research demonstrating the advantages bilinguals have over monolinguals.

In recent years, dual immersion programs have grown in popularity in the U.S. In these schools, native English speakers learn a target language (e.g., Spanish or Chinese) alongside classmates who speak the target language and are learning English. In fact, dual immersion schools often have waiting lists for enrollment. Apparently, the number of parents who want their children to be bilingual and biliterate exceeds the current capacity of dual immersion schools.

Worldwide, the number of bilingual individuals is steadily growing because of increased economic globalization and migration. Nearly 66% of the world is bilingual, and many of those individuals speak more than two languages. In the United States, the number children between the ages of 5 and 17 years old who speak a language other than English at home exceeds 20%.

Bilingual students in the U.S. are not necessarily biliterate. There are obvious advantages to being able to speak other languages but it’s even more of a plus to be able to read, write, speak, and understand more than one language. A movement is growing in the U.S. to encourage, recognize, and affirm biliteracy through the Seal of Biliteracy, an award given by a school, district, or county office of education to students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation. Currently, seventeen states have approved the seal and it being considered by others.

In school settings, there are a number of cognitive and academic benefits of bilingualism. Some include:

• Teaching academic skills, such as reading, in a child’s home language is more effective for second language achievement than simply being immersed in English instruction. So, time spent in high-quality native language literacy instruction may speed up English proficiency in the long run.
• Switching between languages tends to build cognitive flexibility, and bilinguals’ ability to read and think in two languages promotes higher levels of abstract thinking.
• Having greater capacity for attention and task-switching which are critical skills in schooling.
• Understanding math concepts and solving word problems more easily.
• Developing strong thinking skills, including metacognitive capacities for thinking about language and learning other languages.
• Being better able to focus, remember, and make decisions.

There are also social-emotional benefits to bilingualism. Some include:

• Developing of a person’s sense of self is enhanced when she is able to communicate effectively with multigenerational family members, friends, and others in her cultural community.
• Making friends and exploring a culture more deeply is made possible with the ability to talk to others and gain an understanding of their values and perspectives.
• Learning a second language typically contributes to empathy toward limited-English speakers encountered in day-to-day situations. Knowing firsthand how difficult it is to reach native-like fluency in a new language adds an element of understanding towards English learners.

As you can see, the benefits of bilingualism extend beyond the classroom. Advantages begin in early childhood and continue across the lifespan. In fact, bilingualism has been found to delay cognitive decline  in older individuals. So, it seems that bilingualism offers something for every age group.