CSET English Language Development (205/206/207) key terms

The smallest unit of sound that can distinguish one word from another in a language, such as the difference between /b/ in bat and /p/ in pat.

The branch of linguistics that studies how a language organizes and uses its speech sounds, including which sound patterns are permitted and how sounds change in context.

Two words that differ by exactly one sound and have different meanings, such as ship and sheep; teachers use them to show learners which sound contrasts matter in English.

The smallest unit of language that carries meaning or grammatical function, such as the free morpheme book or the bound plural suffix -s in books.

The study of how words are built from smaller meaningful parts and how those parts combine, including prefixes, suffixes, and the rules governing their attachment.

A grammatical ending that changes a word's form without changing its core meaning or part of speech, such as past tense -ed, plural -s, or comparative -er in English.

The system of rules governing how words combine into phrases and sentences in a language, including word order and the relationships among sentence constituents.

The study of meaning in language, covering how words, phrases, and sentences convey literal meaning and how meanings relate to one another, as in synonyms and antonyms.

The study of how context shapes meaning, including how speakers use language to accomplish purposes such as requesting, apologizing, or taking turns in conversation.

The variety of language a speaker chooses for a particular audience, purpose, or setting, ranging from informal conversation to formal academic writing.

Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills: the conversational language proficiency learners develop for everyday social interaction, typically emerging within a few years of exposure to a new language.

Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency: the language proficiency needed to understand and produce demanding academic content, usually taking considerably longer to develop than conversational fluency.

Spoken or written language that learners can understand even though it slightly exceeds their current level, allowing them to acquire new language from context and meaning.

A learner's emotional state, such as anxiety, low motivation, or lack of confidence, that can block or reduce the processing of available language input.

A learner's evolving internal language system, which follows its own patterns and rules and changes over time as the learner receives more input and feedback.

The influence of a learner's first language on the acquisition and use of a second language, which can support learning when patterns align or cause errors when they differ.

The persistence of an incorrect or non-native language feature in a learner's speech or writing despite continued exposure and instruction, often after communication has become effective.

An approach that compares features of a learner's first language with the target language to predict which structures are likely to be easy or difficult to acquire.

State-adopted expectations describing what English learners should know and be able to do in English at each proficiency level, organized by communication mode and language function.

A descriptive stage on a continuum of language development, such as emerging, expanding, or bridging, that summarizes what a learner can currently do with English.

The communicative purpose a learner accomplishes with language in a lesson, such as explaining, comparing, persuading, or summarizing, which shapes the language students need to produce.

A partially completed sentence structure that gives learners a model for expressing ideas, such as 'The main character wants to ___ because ___.'

Words and phrases students need to understand and discuss school content, including general academic terms like analyze and content-specific terms like photosynthesis.

The specialized ways of using language for school learning, including precise vocabulary, complex sentence structures, and conventions for explaining, arguing, and citing evidence.

Ongoing checks of student learning during instruction, such as observation, questioning, or exit tasks, used to adjust teaching while the unit is still in progress.

An evaluation of student learning at the end of a unit, course, or period, used to measure achievement against standards rather than to adjust instruction in the moment.

A formal measure of a learner's English listening, speaking, reading, and writing abilities, often used to determine initial identification, placement, or reclassification decisions.

The process of determining that an English learner has met criteria for English proficiency and can exit English learner status, typically based on multiple measures.

Temporary instructional supports, such as models, graphic organizers, or guided practice, that help learners complete tasks they could not yet do independently and are gradually removed.

Information given to a learner about an error in their language use, which may be direct, such as a correction, or indirect, such as a request for clarification.

Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English: teaching grade-level subject matter in English with strategies that make content accessible to English learners while they continue developing English.

A model of content teaching for English learners that uses adjusted language, visuals, and interactive strategies so students can learn subject matter without simplified curriculum.

Instruction that recognizes, values, and builds on students' cultural backgrounds, experiences, and ways of communicating as resources for learning.

The skills, knowledge, and experiences families and communities possess that teachers can identify and draw on to connect instruction to students' lives.

Partnership practices that involve families in students' education through two-way communication, shared decision making, and support for learning at home.

An approach in which learners develop a second language while maintaining and valuing their first language, so both languages remain resources rather than one replacing the other.