The current focus across the U.S. on student college and career readiness standards makes clear that both instruction and assessment of academic English will continue to be important for school-age English learner (EL) students. This article presents an overview and summary of key literature on academic language (usually academic English); considers how language demands are represented in the Common Core State Standards adopted by most states; briefly compares how academic English is represented in four sets of current English language proficiency/development standards; and considers some factors and challenges in operationalizing academic English for next-generation English language proficiency assessments. The overview and summary information should be useful to educators and developers of standards, curricula, and assessments who want a deeper understanding of academic language and its significance in EL instruction and assessment.