Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education Candidate Guidebook:

Appendix A. Diversity Proficiencies

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) defines diversity as (1) Individual differences (e.g., personality, interests, learning modalities, and life experiences), and (2) group differences (e.g., race, ethnicity, ability, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, nationality, language, religion, political affiliation, and socio-economic background) (InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards, p. 21). 

Throughout the teacher preparation program, the curriculum will provide multiple opportunities to learn about cultural and individual differences and candidates will be expected to demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of diverse populations. The diversity proficiencies listed below describe the Riley College’s expectations for the candidate’s knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions with respect to issues of diversity that affect teaching, leading, and student learning.

1. Awareness of Self: The candidate demonstrates self-awareness of social identities, cultural influences, biases, and prejudices that influence his/her professional practice.
2. Understanding the Learner: The candidate demonstrates awareness of students’ social, cultural, familial, and  community values to support positive regard for others and empathy – with the goal of enhancing mutual learning and improving teaching.
3. Learning Environment: The candidate creates a learning environment that affirms individual differences, supports the diverse learning needs of all students, and makes learning experiences meaningful and culturally relevant.
4. Planning, Instruction, and Assessment: The candidate designs, delivers, and/or facilitates instruction and assessments that meet the diverse learning needs of all students.
5. Professional Practice: The candidate works collaboratively with others to create equitable and inclusive professional practices that lead to positive social change.

Diversity Proficiencies and Indicators

1. Awareness of Self: The candidate demonstrates self-awareness of social identities, cultural influences, biases, and prejudices that influence his/her professional practice.
   1. The candidate demonstrates awareness of the impact that culture, gender, language abilities, and socioeconomic status have on one’s ability to be an effective educator.
   2. The candidate articulates potential biases (e.g., privilege, prejudices, stereotypes, systemic oppression) an explores their own interesting social identities and how they impact daily experience as an educator. 
   3. The candidate articulates the impact societal inequalities have had on historically and systematically marginalized groups and on their relationships with students, colleagues, and families.
2. Understanding the Learner: The candidate demonstrates awareness of students’ social, cultural, familial and community values to support positive regard for others and empathy – with the goal of enhancing mutual learning and improving teaching. 
   1. The candidate demonstrates an understanding of students’ identities, families, cultures, and communities and uses this information as a basis for connecting instruction to students’ lived experiences, including historical and systemic trauma.
   2. The candidate demonstrates an understanding of how students learn and cognitively develop and provides a variety of learning opportunities adapted to the individual perspectives and needs of diverse learners that support intellectual, social, culturally linguistic, and personal development.
3. Learning Environment: The candidate creates a learning environment that affirms individual differences, supports the diverse learning needs of all students, and makes learning experiences meaningful and culturally relevant.
   1. The candidate creates an inclusive classroom community and learning experiences that make the content meaningful and culturally relevant for all students.
   2. The candidate creates an inclusive learning environment where students learn about, understand, respect, and value individual differences.
   3. The candidate uses verbal and nonverbal communication skills that demonstrate respect for and responsiveness to the cultural backgrounds, native language, and differing perspectives of students and their families.
   4. The candidate understands the importance of relationship-based, culturally affirming, and proactive approaches to behavior and implements these approaches in order to improve student outcomes and reduce exclusionary practices. 
4. Planning, Instruction, and Assessment: The candidate designs, delivers, and/or facilitates instruction and assessments that meet the diverse learning needs of all students.
   1. The candidate develops cross-disciplinary instructional content that builds on learners’ strengths, needs, cultural and lingual ways of knowing, including the use of and access to technology, to support students’ intellectual, social, emotional, and personal development.
   2. The candidate incorporates cultural diversity, positive social identities, students’ prior learning experiences, and the community context in instructional planning to improve teaching and student learning. 
   3. The candidate considers performance data to select and adapt teaching and instructional strategies that are sensitive to the diverse learning needs of all students.
   4. The candidate understands bias in assessment and selects/designs multiple forms of assessment that are appropriate to individual and group needs.
   5. The candidate communicates meaningful feedback for growth and asks questions that allow students to self-assess their own strengths, learning gaps, and direction to move forward.
5. Professional Practice: The candidate works collaboratively with others to create equitable and inclusive practices that lead to positive social change.
   1. The candidate demonstrates effective reflection strategies to meet the diverse learning needs of all students and build on student strengths and assets to make adaptations and adjustments toward more equitable outcomes.
   2. The candidate engages in mutual inquiry with colleagues, families, and community members in intercultural contexts to meet the diverse learning needs of all students.
   3. The candidate advocates for positive social change by working collaboratively with others for educational equity and access.
   4. The candidate understands the importance of engaging in culturally affirming, reciprocal communication with families about student development, learning and performance.