Practice Test GeeksTEA ESL - Texas Education Agency English as a Second Language Certification Practice Test
← All TEA ESL Flashcard Decks

Vocabulary Development & Academic Language Flashcards

7 cards from real TEA ESL practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Vocabulary Development & Academic Language flashcards as text

  1. Jim Cummins distinguishes between BICS and CALP. What does CALP stand for?

    Answer: Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency

    CALP stands for Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency, referring to the higher-order language skills needed for academic success in formal educational settings.

  2. According to Beck, McKeown, and Kucan's tiered vocabulary framework, which tier includes domain-specific words like 'photosynthesis' and 'isotope'?

    Answer: Tier 3

    Tier 3 words are low-frequency, domain-specific academic terms used in particular content areas like science, math, or social studies.

  3. How long does research suggest it typically takes ELL students to develop CALP compared to BICS?

    Answer: BICS takes 1-2 years; CALP takes 5-7 years

    Research by Cummins indicates ELLs typically develop conversational fluency (BICS) in 1-2 years, while academic language proficiency (CALP) takes 5-7 years.

  4. Which vocabulary strategy involves teaching students to use prefixes, roots, and suffixes to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words?

    Answer: Morphemic analysis

    Morphemic analysis involves breaking down words into their meaningful units (morphemes) such as prefixes, roots, and suffixes to decode word meanings.

  5. A Spanish-speaking ELL notices that the English word 'celebrate' is similar to the Spanish word 'celebrar' and shares the same meaning. This is an example of a:

    Answer: True cognate

    True cognates are words in two languages that share similar spelling, pronunciation, and meaning, allowing ELLs to transfer vocabulary knowledge across languages.

  6. Which of the following is a false cognate ('false friend') that could confuse a Spanish-speaking ELL?

    Answer: 'Library' in English and 'librería' (bookstore) in Spanish

    'Library' and 'librería' are false cognates because 'librería' means 'bookstore' in Spanish, not 'library' (biblioteca), potentially causing comprehension errors.

  7. The Texas English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) require ELL students to develop vocabulary across all subject areas. Which ELPS strand specifically addresses cross-curricular vocabulary development?

    Answer: Cross-curricular second language acquisition

    The ELPS cross-curricular second language acquisition strand (c1) addresses vocabulary development across all content areas in Texas schools.