This page will answer questions commonly asked by students and parents.
- What do the letters mean?
- How long does it take ELLs to learn English?
- Why are ELLs who speak English perfectly still in the ESL program?
- Should ELLs stop using their native languages at home and use English only?
- Should parents of ELLs read to them in their native language?
What do the letters mean?
ESOL = English for Speakers of Other Languages
ESL = English as a Second Language
ELL = English Language Learner
LEP = Limited English Proficient
How long does it take ELLs to learn English?
According to Dr. Virginia Collier, Professor Emeritus of Bilingual/Multicultural/ESL Education at George Mason University and well-respected researcher
of education for ELLs, it usually takes ELLs 2 years to learn social language (also known as BICS, Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills), but it takes
4 to 8 years for them to learn academic language skills (also known as CALP, Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency). CALP, not just BICS, is what students
need in order to achieve at grade level.
Why are ELLs who speak English perfectly still in the ESL program?
Because some students who “sound American” are still in the process of learning how to read and write in English. Listening and speaking skills (BICS)
develop fairly quickly, and young children are able to learn to speak a new language without an accent. However, reading and writing skills (CALP)
develop much more slowly, especially when the students don’t have literacy skills in their native language to transfer to English.
Should ELLs stop using their native languages at home and use English only?
No, because parents are a child’s first teachers. Learning should continue in the home in the parent and children’s primary language. Imagine if you moved
to China and all learning stopped because you were not proficient in Chinese and your parents refused to speak to you in your first language. Imagine trying
to learn Chinese from parents who were limited in Chinese. What effects do you think these circumstances would have on your mastery of the Chinese language
and your academic progress, not to mention your emotional well-being?
In addition, if children stop using their parents’ native language, it causes enormous problems when the children enter adolescence. Communication between
parents and teenagers is difficult enough without a language barrier; when they literally don’t speak the same language, it becomes impossible. The result
is that the teens suffer from a lack of parental guidance.
Should parents of ELLs read to them in their native language?
YES! Literate parents should read to their children in their home language, because it is one of the best ways to support their intellectual development. It will
also help the children develop reading skills which they can transfer to English, and cultivate a love of reading and learning.