It is easy to mix up a language with the teaching approach built around it, but they are not the same thing. Use this comparison chart to keep them clear: on one side are languages such as American Sign Language, English, and other spoken and signed languages; on the other are the instructional approaches often paired with them, like listening and spoken language, bilingual-bimodal teaching, and balanced literacy. Seeing the two side by side helps teams talk precisely about language and method, and make bilingual decisions without confusing the language a child uses with the way that child is taught.
Because of your selected audience type, you may also enjoy the following related resources.
A flexible checklist administrators use for quick walkthroughs and coaching talks on ASL/English bilingual instruction, differentiation, assessment, and data use.
A planning template elementary teachers use to decide, step by step, where ASL and where English lead each part of a lesson and how young students show understanding.
A guide leaders use to make language planning a shared, program-wide practice, setting expectations for how ASL and English are used so student access does not depend on individual teachers.