ESL, ELA, ELL …… What does it all mean????

ESL: English as a Second Language
ELA: English Language Acquisition
ELL: English Language Learner

ESL was the common term used for a program which supports ELLs (English Language Learners) in public school systems throughout much of the United States. Because many immigrants coming to the United States are learning English as not only their second, but for some their third, fourth, and perhaps even a fifth language, the language learning community has switched from ESL to ELA (English Language Acquisition), as a more appropriate term.

What about ELL? There has often been confusion regarding this term. Simply put, the term ELL refers to the English Language Learner - a person. ELL is not a program, but rather this acronym refers to the people in the program. Our students learning English are English Language Learners, ELLs.

So, what does this mean for you? Fortunately nothing, except learning the new acronyms (ELA and ELL).