Terminology

We know there's a lot of terms surrounding ESL education. Here's a concise list to "crack the code"!

Asylum-Seeker = Someone who has moved to a new location under the same conditions as refugees and displaced persons, however, they claim "asylum" under their new country - or a refusal to leave the new country out of fear for returning. 

Displaced Person = Someone who has left their homeland for the same reasons as a refugee, but he or she is living in "temporary safety," typically in a neighboring country or location.

EFL = English as a Foreign Language

ELL = English Language Learner

ESL = English as a Second Language

ESOL = English for Speakers of Other Languages

 

FLEP = Former Limited English Proficient

Immigrant = Anyone who is not a citizen of the United States

LAB-R = Language Assessment Battery-Revised (Initial Screening Test)

LEP = Limted English Proficient (The term the state uses to refer to ESL students; We like to think no one is "Limited"!)

NES = Non-English Speaker/Native-English Speaker 

NYSESLAT = New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (Annual Language Proficiency Test)

Refugee = a person who has had to flee one's own country out of a well found fear

TESOL = Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

 

TOEFL = Test of English as a Foreign Language