Migrant Education
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• English Language Learners
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• Key Terminology for English Language Learners

ELL – An “English Language Learner” is a native speaker of another language in the process of learning English -- also referred to as “Limited English Proficient” or “LEP.”

ESOL – “English for speakers of other languages” is the currently accepted term for programs teaching language skills to students from non-English speaking backgrounds. This term replaces the term “English as a Second Language” or “ESL.”

LEP – “Limited English Proficient” is a term used by the federal government and by many state and local schools districts to identify and categorize students whose English is insufficient to succeed in English–only classrooms.

FEP – “Fluent” or “Fully English Proficient” is the term used to identify students who are from backgrounds where English is not the primary language spoken but have attained an English proficiency level which enables them to succeed in an English-only classroom.

TESOL – “Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages” refers, in general, to the discipline of teaching English to non-native speakers but also to the international professional organization of educators involved with teaching English as an additional language.

Title III -- The portion of the No Child Left Behind Act authorizing appropriations and establishing standards for English language acquisition programs in schools. The focus of the title is on assisting school districts in teaching English to Limited English Proficient students and in helping these students meet the standards required of all other students.

OELA – The “Office of English Language Acquisition”, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students is an office of the U.S. Department of Education which administers the Title III ESL programs.

BICS – “Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills” are often referred to as "playground English" or "survival English.” BICS are the basic language ability required for face-to-face communication and usually acquired first by ELL students. However, BICS are not sufficient to meet the cognitive and linguistic demands of an academic classroom.

CALP – “Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency” is the linguistic ability necessary for more formal language usage and is typically found in academic texts and settings. This proficiency generally develops with schooling and takes ELL students longer to develop than BICS.

L1: A student's first or primary language, generally the language spoken at home.

L2: A secondary or additional language a student learns or is in the process of learning after a first language has already been acquired.

LMS – “Language Minority Students” are students living in countries where their first or primary language is not the dominant language. These students generally have no or limited proficiency in the dominant language.

Language Majority Students -- Students whose first language is that of the majority population.

For a comprehensive glossary of key terminology relevant to educational programs, please visit the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights website at:
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/ell/glossary.html

The full text of No Child Left Behind can be viewed at:
http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/index.html