Acronyms & Definitions

Adopted ELP Programs

Adopted English Language Proficiency Programs identify published programs that have been purchased for schools with Teacher’s Guides, Student Books, Assessments, and other instructional materials. A curriculum has been adopted for the beginning and intermediate levels of ESOL.

AMAO

Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives

AMAOs are set annually by the Maryland State Department of Education that specify the percentage of ESOL students yearly who are:

AMAO I: expected to progress toward English language proficiency

AMAO II: attain English language proficiency

AMAO III: demonstrate adequate yearly progress in reading and math at the county level

AYP

Adequate Yearly Progress

Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, each state establishes a definition of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) to use each year to determine the achievement of each school district and school in reading and mathematics. States are to identify for improvement any school that does not meet the state's definition of AYP for two consecutive years. Adequate yearly progress is designed to ensure continuous improvement each year toward the goal of 100% proficiency in 2014.

BICS

Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills

The language of face-to-face social encounters.

CALP

Cognitive-Academic Language Proficiency

A term for abstract academic knowledge.

ELL

English Language Learner

An ELL is a student who uses a language in addition to or other than English.

ELL Plan

The ELL Plan is an accommodation(s) document for ELLs in the ESOL program.

ELP

English Language Proficiency

ELP is the degree to which a student is able to use standard American English as a language of instruction.

ELP Programs

ELP Programs are curricula developed to prepare a student to be able to use standard American English as a language of instruction.

ENL

English as a New Language

A term used by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards in place of ESL or ESOL.

ESOL

English for Speakers of Other Languages

This term is used to identify the programs, staff and students served by the Division of ESOL Programs.

ESOL Assessments

ESOL assessments are designed to measure the English language proficiency (ELP) of ESOL students at all proficiency levels in grades prek-12.

ESOL Measurement Topics and/or ESOL Rubrics should accompany these ESOL assessments for scoring purposes, and should be used to provide feedback to ESOL students. All ESOL assessments have been aligned to the Maryland State Department of Education’s ESOL State Curriculum and English/Language Arts State Curriculum.

Essential Questions

Essential questions are focus questions for a unit of study.

Home Language Survey

One or more questions posed to parents and students upon entering a local school system in order to determine the language or languages spoken in the home.

Interrupted Schooling

A student comes to a Maryland public school with an interruption of 6 or more months in schooling in the student’s home country.

First or home language

LAS Links

Language Assessment System Links

LAS Links is the state-mandated test of English language proficiency administered to grade K – 12 ESOL students annually each spring. LAS Links results are used to demonstrate the progress SCPS and Maryland State ESOL students are making towards proficiency in English. Assessment results are used by ELL Teams to help make decisions as to each student’s participation in the ESOL program.

LAS Links Placement Test

LAS Links Placement Test is the state-mandated test of English language proficiency administered to grade K – 12 ELLs entering SCPS. Assessment results are used by ELL Teams to help make decisions as to each student’s participation in the ESOL program.

LEP

Limited English Proficient

An acronym used at the federal level to describe English language learners who participate in the ESOL program.

was born outside the United States or whose native language is not English;
comes from an environment where a language other than English is dominant; or,
is an American Indian or Alaskan Native and comes from an environment where a language other than English has had a significant impact on the student’s level of English language proficiency

NCLB

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

NCLB expands the scope and frequency of student testing, revamps accountability systems and guarantees that every teacher is qualified in their subject area. It requires states to make demonstrable annual progress in raising the percentage of students proficient in reading and math.

PreLAS

PreLAS is the test of English language proficiency administered to pre-kindergarten ELLs upon entry to SCPS and to pre-kindergarten ESOL students each spring. Assessment results are used by ELL Teams to help make decisions as to each student’s participation in ESOL programs.

REALIA

Real life objects used as visuals in language instruction.

RELL

Reclassified English Language Learner

A RELL is a student who has exited the ESOL program within the last two years and is a part of the ELL subgroup for those two years.

RELL Plan

The RELL Plan is an accommodation(s) documentation for ELLs who have exited the ESOL program within the last two years.

Sheltered English

A teaching approach during which ELLs receive language instruction through content area subject matter with teacher scaffolding.

SIOP

Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol

A research-based model of sheltered instruction.