The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) has utilized the services of WestEd and the Understanding Language Initiative at Stanford University to develop a new set of English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards. The ELP Standards, developed for K, 1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, and 9-12 grades, highlight and amplify the critical language, knowledge about language, and skills using language that are in college-and-career-ready standards and that are necessary for English learners (ELs) to be successful in schools.
The Connecticut English Language Proficiency (CELP) Standards are inherently different from other content area standards, in that they describe the language necessary for success in content area courses. Students enter programs at every grade level and there is no necessary connection between their grade level and their English proficiency. The demonstration of grade-level performance may be impacted by degree of English language proficiency. The CELP standards describe the language necessary for students to complete grade-appropriate tasks, while continually developing English proficiency. An individual student’s proficiency may vary among the four skill areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing. This document is meant to be used in concert with other content area standards, as it describes the language English learners need to function within those grade level content areas.
The 10 ELP Standards highlight a strategic set of language functions (what students do with language to accomplish content-specific tasks) and language forms (vocabulary, grammar, and discourse specific to a particular content area or discipline) which are needed by ELs as they develop competence in the practices associated with English language arts (ELA) & literacy, mathematics, and science (Bunch, Kiber, & Pimentel, 2013; CCSO, 2012; Lee, Quinn, & Valdez, 2013; Moschkovich, 2012; van Lier & Walqui, 2012). The five ELP levels for each of the ELP Standards address the question, “What might an EL’s language use look like at each ELP level as he or she progresses toward independent participation in grade-appropriate activities?”