Cummins's BICS/CALP distinction: language proficiency divides into basic interpersonal communicative skills and cognitive/academic language proficiency¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 4 claims (4 for) · 1 study (1 theoretical), q1 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The packet explains that "Cummins divides language proficiency into two dimensions: basic Interpersonal communicative skills (BICS) and cognitive/academic language proficiency (CALP)", with CALP the basis for academic success. It uses the distinction to explain the phenomenon of students who seem fluent in informal English yet fail academic tasks, arguing their difficulty stems from lacking the language skills required for academic domains rather than from learning handicaps or low motivation. The two dimensions are described as developmental continuums rather than a dichotomy, and the distinction drives the packet's instructional models, which aim to move learners from BICS to CALP.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Teachers must recognize that conversational fluency does not imply academic language proficiency when assessing and referring students
• Full development of both dimensions is considered essential for a person to be considered proficient in a given language

Constraints¶

• The packet notes the dimensions are continuums, not dichotomous categories
• The packet notes the framework explains academic failure through lack of academic language skills, while allowing that low socio-economic status, motivation, or learning handicaps may also be reasons for poor performance

Target Learners¶

• bilingual and ESL students at K-12 level; teachers learning to apply the distinction
• K-12 bilingual students
• second language learners

Target Learning Objectives¶

• academic language proficiency (CALP) in L1 and L2
• distinguishing conversational from academic language use

Claims¶

• BICS and CALP intersect developmentally but are not identical or reducible one to the other [+W]
• The BICS-before-CALP sequence is typical for immigrant children but not universal: high L2 CALP can precede fluent L2 BICS in certain situations [+W]
• Immigrant children acquire peer-appropriate conversational fluency in English within about 2 years but require considerably longer (5-10 years) to catch up academically in English [+W]
• Assuming conversational fluency indicates English proficiency has led to bilingual children being misdiagnosed as learning disabled or retarded and to premature exit from support programs [+W]

Related Theories¶

• BICS/CALP distinction: conversational and academic language proficiency as conceptually distinct dimensions with different developmental patterns
• Common underlying proficiency (CUP): interdependence of L1 and L2 academic language proficiency
• Krashen's five hypotheses of second language acquisition as principles for bilingual program design
• Cummins' theoretical framework relating language proficiency to academic achievement via threshold and interdependence hypotheses

Examples¶

• Functional Approach progression from oral dialogue (BICS) to written discourse (CALP)
• Functional Approach model: a five-step progression taking students from BICS (oral dialogue) to CALP (written discourse)
• Teacher training packets operationalize communicative competence theory through workshop activities, pre/posttests, and guided discussion rather than expert knowledge alone

Key Sources¶

• Calderon, Margarita; And Others. (1982). Methods and Techniques for Communicative Competence in Bilingual Education, Packet II. Language Proficiency Acquisition, Assessment, and Communicative Behavior, Series B. Student Edition. Bilingual Education Teacher Training Packets. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED226607
• Calderon, Margarita; DiPietro, Robert J.; Larsen-Pusey, Mary Ann; Rubio, Olga. (1982). Methods and Techniques for Communicative Competence in Bilingual Education, Packet II. Series B. Teacher Edition. Evaluation, Dissemination and Assessment Center, Dallas. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED226608