This workshop deepens educators’ understanding of language proficiency levels and their instructional implications. Participants learn the difference between BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) and CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency) and how each affects student learning. The session uses case studies to model how strategies vary across stages of language development, enabling teachers to plan lessons aligned with specific student needs. By the end, participants design an action plan to apply these strategies to their own classrooms, ensuring instruction is both accessible and rigorous.
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Led by our team of Instructional Strategists
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Last Updated
Apr 15, 2026 2:49 PM
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Want a thought partner to help you design solutions that fit your school?
How can we align instruction to students’ language proficiency levels to produce measurable gains in both academic language and content mastery?
What instructional practices will ensure educators effectively differentiate between BICS and CALP to improve outcomes for multilingual learners?
How do we build teacher capacity to design linguistically responsive lessons that accelerate language development while maintaining rigorous expectations?
This workshop helped me better understand the challenges families face and gave me practical strategies to strengthen communication and engagement. I now feel more confident in building supportive partnerships with families to improve student success.
Jen Soloman
School Name
As a result of this work
As a result of this work, educators will strengthen their ability to support students at varying stages of language development by aligning instruction with BICS and CALP, ensuring both accessibility and academic rigor. Teachers will leave with practical strategies, case study insights, and an actionable plan that supports differentiated instruction and meets the specific language needs of their students.
Workshop Description
This workshop deepens educators’ understanding of language proficiency levels and their instructional implications. Participants learn the difference between BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) and CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency) and how each affects student learning. The session uses case studies to model how strategies vary across stages of language development, enabling teachers to plan lessons aligned with specific student needs. By the end, participants design an action plan to apply these strategies to their own classrooms, ensuring instruction is both accessible and rigorous.
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Educators will strengthen inclusive practices by using language-proficiency data to plan instruction that is both accessible and rigorous. This work supports district priorities by helping teachers differentiate for diverse learners and ensure equitable access to meaningful learning opportunities.
Our approach goes beyond one-size-fits-all professional development. We hold ourselves to rigorous standards of quality and delivery in every client interaction, ensuring that each experience is meaningful, relevant, and impactful. We don’t just deliver workshops—we build long-term partnerships with schools and districts, working alongside educators to improve instructional practices and student outcomes over time.
We actively listen to educators’ unique contexts and experiences, using that insight to collaboratively design tailored solutions rather than pre-packaged sessions. Our team asks thoughtful questions, challenges assumptions, and continuously learns so we can help redefine what’s possible in teaching and learning.
Above all, we communicate authentically, foster positive and productive relationships, and bring a deep passion and commitment to education. The result is professional learning that feels purposeful, personalized, and truly transformative.
Our workshops are designed for educators and school leaders, including teachers, instructional coaches, school administrators, and district teams. Each session is tailored to the specific audience to ensure content is relevant, practical, and immediately applicable.
Our workshops are interactive, engaging, and grounded in real classroom practice. Each experience is intentionally designed using the principles of andragogy, sound instructional design, and the core constructs of effective professional development to ensure relevance, coherence, and impact. Participants engage in discussion, reflection, planning, and application activities — not just passive listening. Educators leave with concrete strategies and next steps they can implement right away.
We offer flexible formats, including half-day, full-day, and multi-session series. We can also design ongoing professional learning experiences to support sustained implementation over time.
We offer flexible delivery options to meet the needs of schools and districts, including in-person sessions, live virtual workshops, and asynchronous learning through our applied learning platform. Regardless of format, all experiences are designed to be interactive, engaging, and collaborative, with structures that promote meaningful participation and application of learning.
We believe professional learning is most effective when it’s sustained. In addition to workshops, we offer instructional coaching, implementation planning, and follow-up sessions to help teams translate learning into practice and drive meaningful results.
Inspired Instruction’s workshops are facilitated by a nationwide team of expert Instructional Strategists.  Our facilitators bring diverse experience as classroom educators, instructional coaches, principals, directors, and superintendents, spanning all content areas. We thoughtfully match your specific needs with a facilitator whose expertise aligns to ensure the learning experience is relevant, practical, and impactful for your staff.
We offer a range of pricing options designed to meet the needs of different schools and districts. Our Client Directors work closely with you to understand your goals, scope, and budget, and will partner with you to design a high-quality professional learning experience that fits within your financial framework.
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Our team works alongside school and district leaders to tackle challenges and stay aligned to your goals.
