“ELL (English Language Learner): an active learner of the English language who may benefit from various types of language support programs. This term is used mainly in the U.S. to describe K–12 students.
ESL (English as a Second Language): formerly used to designate ELL students; this term increasingly refers to a program of instruction designed to support the ELL. It is still used to refer to multilingual students in higher education.
LEP (Limited English Proficiency): employed by the U.S. Department of Education to refer to ELLs who lack sufficient mastery of English to meet state standards and excel in an English-language classroom. Increasingly, English Language Learner (ELL) is used to describe this population, because it highlights learning, rather than suggesting that non-native-English-speaking students are deficient.
EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Students: nonnative-English-speaking students who are learning English in a country where English is not the primary language.
1.5 Generation Students: graduates of U.S. high schools who enter college while still learning English; may include refugees and permanent residents as well as naturalized and native-born citizens of the U.S.” (Education.com, 2017, para. 1).
According to Weyer, (2017), these are key terms that should be and are used in some states.
“Dual Language Learners
Dual language learners (DLLs) are generally young students who are mastering their native language proficiency while learning English simultaneously. Eighty percent of American DLLs speak Spanish as their native language, although there is significant diversity in their abilities.
English Language Learners
English language learners (ELLs) are generally older, non-native English speakers who have gained proficiency in their native language and are now learning English in addition to mastering academic content” (paras. 2, 3).