What does a strong ability to decode but difficulty understanding imply about an ELL student?

When an English Language Learner (ELL) demonstrates a strong ability to decode written text but struggles with comprehension, it suggests that while they can fluently read the words on the page, they may not fully grasp their meaning, especially in an academic context. This indicates a gap in their understanding of the academic language, which often includes complex vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and nuanced sentence structures that differ from everyday language.

Support in academic language comprehension is essential for these students to bridge the gap between decoding and understanding. They may benefit from explicit instruction that focuses on the context and meaning of the words they read, strategies to deduce meanings from context, and exposure to diverse texts that challenge their comprehension skills. This support can help them leverage their decoding skills into a deeper understanding of the materials being presented to them.

While vocabulary knowledge, writing skills, and auditory processing can all play a role in language acquisition, they do not directly address the specific issue of comprehension that arises for a student who can decode well but needs assistance in understanding the language and concepts behind the words.