What is Academic Language Proficiency?

Academic language proficiency is generally made up of two strands: the language of the content area and the language of academics. Content language is terms that are used in one specific content area (e.g. trapezoid, quadrilateral, etc. when studying geometry). Academic language is the language used across content areas which tend to be verbs that request an academic task (e.g. summarize, identify, analyze, etc.).

Academic language proficiency is attained when students can understand, do and produce the content and academic language of school. Academic language is only developed within the walls of a classroom, as it tends to be very abstract and appears to be disconnected from a student's personal life. Research shows it takes 5-7 years (Cummins) for English Learners to become proficient in academic language. To add complexity, their English speaking peers are a moving target as they, too, develop further content knowledge and academic language.

Academic language differs from social language which is the language students use to communicate in everyday interactions outside of academics. Some refer to social language as playground language. It develops on its own as a natural result of common interaction with English speakers, usually within 2-4 years (Cummins).

One critical aspect of these two very different languages, is that teachers are often misinformed by a student's social language. A teacher may consider his student capable of her academic responsibilities because she can carry on a full conversation and has even lost her accent. The teacher may consider a student proficient because she is fluent. We need to assess carefully the level of academic language a student has, to determine the level of academic support she needs. Academic language proficiency includes students' reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in a specific content area matching those of her native English peers.

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