The Integration of Academic Language in Education Policy

• In Event: Transforming the Problem-Based Notion of Academic Language and Literacy to a Resource-Based Perspective

Abstract

The number of English learners (ELs) in public schools continues to grow throughout the United States. Between 2000 and 2010, the number of ELs increased by 50 percent. Given the recent introduction of the Common Core Standards, teacher evaluation systems, and the focus on closing achievement gaps, the academic performance of ELs is an essential component in the success of our education system.

The search for effective initiatives and promising practices to improve outcomes among ELs has drawn attention to the concept of academic language. Since the introduction of the concept of Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) by Cummins (1979) into the field of language education, state educational agencies have increasingly considered the importance of academic language and adopted it as a central component of their language education programs. That academic content is constructed in a language that significantly differs from the language we use in our everyday conversations (Schleppegrell, 2004) may seem obvious today. However this shift in the focus of language programs, especially in K-12 education, is relatively recent.
Most states have embarked in projects that focus on the development and use of academic language for their EL students. However, little has been uncovered about the concept of academic language as portrayed in policies and guidelines of state education agencies (SEA).

There is sufficient reason to confirm that how academic language is disseminated and assessed at the local, state, and federal level will have an impact on students’ opportunities to develop academic language in school, and ultimately access academic content. The present paper reviews previous literature and peer-reviewed research on the theory and practice of academic language. Then, using a critical discourse analysis framework, policies and guidelines from four representative states will be compared and contrasted, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Texas, in order to determine main uses of academic language in the legislation or/and state guidelines and how they relate to the research literature. Both federal and state regulations are examined.

The results indicate that most states do not have a clear definition of academic language, and when they do they focus on discrete linguistic aspects, such as lexis and syntax. However, the sociocultural connotations of the term, especially as it relates to students that come from minority linguistic and literacies backgrounds are ignored. This limitation may have an impact on the effectiveness of those initiatives.

Author

• David Nieto, Illinois State Board of Education