Over the past 10 years the state of Indiana has experienced a dramatic increase in the numbers of non-English speaking immigrant students in grades K-12. Also in the past five years, state funding for Limited English Proficient (LEP) students has increased three-fold while the amount of money budgeted has remained the same. In 2000 the average amount of funding provided per student was $75. Today it is $25 per student.

The increase in numbers of ELL students and the decrease in state funding has created a need for professional development in English as a second language instruction. The ICP promotes the integration of both content and language learning, which requires a collaborative instructional approach critical to fostering English language learners who are academically successful. At some point in their new public school settings, language minority students will be required to take standardized achievement tests in various subject areas. Therefore, they need comprehensive academic instruction in addition to language development.