This document discusses the differences between Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). BICS refers to conversational language skills used in daily interaction, while CALP refers to the academic language needed for school. It takes 1-3 years to develop age-appropriate BICS but 5-7 years or longer to develop CALP. The Common Underlying Proficiency theory proposes that both languages share a common foundation of thinking and language processing skills. The document also defines bilingual education as a program where two languages are used equally for instruction.

1. Basic Interpersonal Communicative
Skills (BICS)
Enrique Arias Castaño
Vs. Cognitive Academic Language
Proficiency (CALP)

3. BIEDBilingualis
m
BICS & CALP
What type of language ideology does your
school have?
What type of bilingual education does it
have?
Does it state the type of bilingual education?
What type of bilingual are you?
For how long have you been learning
English?
Based on your personal profile, how would you define
your Spanish Lg and English Lg? (Define it with all the
criteria)
Give an example of a BICS subject and a CALP subject.

4. Definitions based on levels of proficiency
(maximal and minimal)
-Coordinated – compound
Definitions based on use (functional)
-conversational fluency (BICS)
-academic language competence (CALP)
Definitions of Bilingualism

5. 1.The Common Underlying
Proficiency Theory
2.Context Embedded and Context
Reduced Communication
(Cummins, 1981)

6. Context embedded communication exists when there
is a good degree of contextual support in
communications, e.g. body language, gestures,
intonation etc.
Context reduced communication there are very few
clues to meaning outside language.
Context Embedded and
Context Reduced Communication

7. Length of time needed to achieve age-
appropriate levels of contexts-reduced
language proficiency
Leveloflanguage
proficiency
Monolingual
child
Second
language
learner
Length of time
Development of context-reduced fluency

8. Length of time needed to achieve age-
appropriate levels of contexts-embedded
language proficiency
Leveloflanguage
proficiency
Monolingual
child
Second
language
learner
Length of time
Development of context embedded second
language fluency

9. knowledge vs. use
proficiency use
(competence) (functional)
time
Basic Intercommunicative Skills (BICS)
Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency
(CALP)
competence
time
Vs.
L1
L2

10. BICS in first language BICS in second language
CALP in first language CALP in second language
CommonCommon
UnderlyingUnderlying
ProficiencyProficiency

11. The Common Underlying Proficiency Theory
(The Iceberg Analogy)
Cognitive domain Language processes
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
Pronunciation
Vocabulary
Grammar
Semantic and
Functional
meaning
L1 L2
Basic Intercommunicative
Skills (BICS)
Cognitive Academic Language
Proficiency (CALP)
Thinking Skills
Low-Ordered
Thinking Skills
(LOTS)
High-Ordered
Thinking Skills

12. Comunication vs. Study
Comunicación
simple
Comunicación
libre del contexto
Comunicación
ligada del contexto
Comunicación
compleja
Language of
communication
Language of
study

15. Focus on message:
making input comprehensible.
Developing critical literacy
Focus on use (language to):
Generate new knowledge.
Create literature and art
Act on social realities
Focus on language:
Awareness of/and
critical analysis of
language forms and
uses

16. “Bilingual education…a program where two languages are used
equally as media of instruction”
(Romaine, 1989:216)
Definition of bilingual education

17. Content-driven Language-driven
Content-based language teaching:
A continuum of content and language integration
Total immersion
Partial immersion
Subject courses
Subject courses/language teaching
Language classes based on thematic units
Language classes/use of content for
language practice