BICS and CALP: Empirical and Theoretical Status of the Distinction

Abstract

The distinction between basic interpersonal conversational skills (BICS) and cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) drew attention to the very different time periods typically required by immigrant children to acquire conversational fluency in the school language as compared to grade-appropriate academic proficiency in that language. The distinction also highlighted the problematic educational consequences of conflating social and academic language. The BICS/CALP distinction was embedded within a broader framework that specified the role of societal power relations in framing both the organization of schooling and teacher-student identity negotiation. It is argued that the distinction is consistent with a wide range of research and has also proven effective in generating positive changes in educational practice and policy in relation to culturally and linguistically diverse students.