Glossary of Terms

(AZELLA) Arizona English Language Learner Assessment: This diagnostic test is used to determine English language proficiency in the areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing. It is also used to measure annual progress. New ELLs are evaluated at the beginning of the school year for identification, and at the end of the school year to measure progress. Continuing ELLs are evaluated annually in the spring to measure progress. The AZELLA composite performance level score ranges:
(P.E.) Pre-Emergent
(E) Emergent
(B) Basic
(I) Intermediate
(P) Proficient

(BICS): Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills

(CALP): Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency

(CUP): Common Underlying Proficiency

(DSI): Discrete Skills Inventory

(ELL): English Language Learner: Students with a primary home language other than Engilsh, whose difficulty in comprehending, speaking, reading, and/or writing English affects their school achievement in English.

(EO) English Only: Speaker whose native language is English and who does not speak any other language.

(ELD) English language development: The teaching of English language skills to students who are in the process of elarning English, focusing on phonology (pronounciation), morphology (structure and form of words), sysntax (word order rules), lexicon (vocabulary), and semantics (language use in context).

(FEP): Fluent English Proficient: These are English learners who have been assessed as able to comprehend, speak, read and write English to a proficient level and can function in a mainstream English classroom without special language services or accommodation. Two distinctions are commonly made:
1. (I-FEP) - Initially Fluent English Proficient: PHLOTE student who initially scored as Proficient on the diagnostic language services or accommodations.
2. (R-FEP) - Redesignated Fluent English Proficient: PHLOTE studetn initially assessed and identified as an ELL, who has achieved a level of Proficient on subsequent annual evaluation (AZELLA).

(L1): The primary, or first language acquired

(L2): The second language acquired

Language Proficiency Level: The degree to which a person can understand,speak, read, and write in a given language.

(PHLOTE): Primary Home Language Other than English

Scaffolding: Providing support for the learner to be successful through the use of visuals, real objects, graphic organizers, and group learning experiences. As the student becomes more competent in English, scaffolding is minimized.

Sheltered Instruction: An instructional approach used to make academic instruction understandable to students. In the sheltered classroom, teachers use physical activities, visual aids, and the environment to teach vocabulary and develop concepts in any subject area.

(SIOP) Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol: SIOP is a systematic framework for lesson planning and instruction which integrates the learning of both content and language objectives.

Structured English Immersion Program: The goal of this program is acqusition of English language skills to facilitate academic success for the ELL in the mainstream English classroom. All instruction in an SEI classroom is in English. Teachers have specialized training in meeting the instructional needs of the English learneer, and possess a Bilingual, ESL or SEI teaching credential.