Core academic language skills: An expanded operational construct and a novel instrument to chart school-relevant language proficiency in preadolescent and adolescent learners

TLDR

Academic language proficiency has been poorly defined, and the proposed core academic language skills (CALS) encompass knowledge and use of language forms and functions that align with school learning tasks across disciplines. The study proposes an expanded operationalization of core academic language skills (CALS). An innovative instrument was used to assess CALS in a cross‑sectional sample of 235 students in grades 4–8. Results showed significant between‑ and within‑grade variability in CALS, strong reliability with a single factor predictive of reading comprehension, indicating the construct and instrument are promising for assessing school‑relevant language skills.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Beyond academic vocabulary, the constellation of skills that comprise academic language proficiency has remained imprecisely defined. This study proposes an expanded operationalization of this construct referred to as core academic language skills (CALS). CALS refers to the knowledge and deployment of a repertoire of language forms and functions that co-occur with school learning tasks across disciplines. Using an innovative instrument, we explored CALS in a cross-sectional sample of 235 students in Grades 4–8. The results revealed between- and within-grade variability in CALS. Psychometric analyses yielded strong reliability and supported the presence of a single CALS factor, which was found to be predictive of reading comprehension. Our findings suggest that the CALS construct and instrument appear promising for exploring students’ school-relevant language skills.