Common ESL Acronyms

BICS – Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (playground English) —

CALP – Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (academic English) —

ELL – English Language Learner (the learner him/herself) —

ELP – English Language Proficiency —

ESL - English as a Second Language / generally refers to learning English in order to live in a native English speaking country —

ESOL - English for speakers of other languages / the more generic term which is often preferred in academic settings —

HLS – Home Language Survey – A form that every parent of a student completes at the time of enrollment in a school district

FEP – Fluent English Proficient – Students who have fluent English language skills —

LEP – Limited English Proficient – Students who have minimal English language skills —

NEP – Non-English Profient – Students who have very few, if any English language skills —

PHLOTE – Primary Home Language Other Than English —

TESOL - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages; Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. —

WIDA – World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment – Consortium that provides ESL Standardized Assessments, Language Proficiency Standards, and Can-Do Descriptors