Equity Standards

In order to support the principle that equity permeate all components of mathematics and science education, equity standards are established in the following areas:

• School, District, and State Policies
• Community Partnerships
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Assessment
• Preservice Education
• Professional Development
• Administration
• School Structure and Climate

School, District, and State Policies

• Schools, districts and the state have and enforce policies that address issues of equity.
• Policies and practices are aligned to ensure that staff and administrators respect and promote diversity.
• Resources are allocated to address issues of equity in all program areas.

Community Partnerships

• Parents, caregivers, students, community members, and business partners of diverse backgrounds are crucial to discussions and actions that address equity in science and mathematics.
• Outreach activities empower parents, caregivers, students, community members, and business partners to engage in mathematics and science education.
• Alliances and collaborations among and between community members of various backgrounds are fostered to support equitable educational opportunities.

Curriculum and Instruction

• Equity is addressed as an integral component of a mathematics and science curriculum framework that ensures focused and coherent instruction.
• Curriculum materials are selected to ensure that they are free of bias, are representative of various groups and strongly encourage participation of all students in mathematics and science.
• Instructional strategies support learning for all students.
• All students have equal access to high quality learning materials, including electronic resources of information and a variety of technological tools.
• All students have equitable opportunities to learn to use technology.

Assessment

• Student assessments are aligned with science and mathematics curriculum standards, are free of bias, and are sensitive to diverse student populations.
• Educators use more than one type of assessment tool when assessing students' work.
• Assessment of an individual student's performance uses comparisons of performance over time to help recognize patterns of success and/or difficulty.

Preservice Education

• Preservice programs prepare teachers to teach science and mathematics to diverse populations of students.
• Preservice education faculty are knowledgeable about and understand issues of equity, relate subject matter to various cultural backgrounds and perspectives, share instructional strategies that reduce gender-bias, and model strategies that include students with a variety of needs in standards-based instruction.
• Learning environments encourage and support the participation and success of students from diverse backgrounds in becoming educators.
• Active recruitment of faculty, students, administrators, and support personnel from underrepresented groups is nurtured.

Professional Development

• Equity issues are integral to professional development activities and include staff members examining their beliefs about and expectations of all students.
• Continued support in educating diverse populations and preparing students for living and working in a diverse society is given through inservice professional development activities that ensure equitable and inclusive instructional practices.
• All staff, including members of underrepresented groups, have the opportunity to participate in leadership and professional development programs in mathematics and science education.

Administration

• Administrators actively generate and promote policies that address issues of equity.
• Administrators are responsible for implementing school, district, and state equity policies.
• Formal and informal expectations of staff are aligned with equity policies.
• Hiring and retention of staff from underrepresented groups is valued and promoted.

School Structure and Climate

• Staff members use teaching strategies appropriate for students in diverse classrooms and are knowledgeable about and sensitive to the differences and perspectives of diverse populations.
• Staff, students, and community members have personal interactions with each other that reflect mutual respect.
• Staff and community provide opportunities for students to learn about, understand and value one's own culture and the cultures of others.