English language learners typically develop which type of English language skill soonest?

• A. They typically develop CALP much sooner than BICS.
• B. They typically develop BICS much sooner than CALP.
• C. They develop both at the same pace.
• D. They do not develop BICS or CALP.

Answer: (B)

In language development for English learners, everyday conversational language tends to appear first. This is because BICS—Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills—covers the casual, social language used with peers and in daily interactions, which learners pick up quickly from everyday experience and classroom chatter. CALP, or Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency, involves the more formal, content-specific language of school—accurate vocabulary in textbooks, understanding abstract concepts, and following academic discourse—and it takes longer to develop with explicit instruction and sustained exposure to academic tasks. So, learners typically become proficient in BICS before CALP. Over time, with targeted teaching and practice in academic language, CALP builds, but the initial, quickest growth is in social language.