New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 6A - EDUCATION › Chapter 7 - MANAGING FOR EQUALITY AND EQUITY IN EDUCATION › Subchapter 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS › Section 6A:7-1.3 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
The following words and terms shall have the following
				  meanings when used in this chapter, unless the context clearly indicates
				  otherwise.
"Achievement gap" means the difference in academic
				  performance among student groups as a result of membership in one or more of
				  the protected categories listed at
				  N.J.A.C.
				  6A:7-1.1(a).
"Affectional or sexual orientation" means male or female
				  heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality by inclination, practice,
				  identity, or expression, having a history thereof, or being perceived,
				  presumed, or identified by others as having such an orientation.
"Amistad Commission curriculum" means instructional content,
				  materials, and methods that were developed in consultation with the Amistad
				  Commission and infused into the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS)
				  in accordance with
				  N.J.S.A.
				  18A:35-4.42 and 4.43. The Amistad Commission
				  curriculum, as infused into the NJSLS, is designed to enable students to learn
				  and develop an understanding of the persecution, emancipation, discrimination,
				  achievements, and contributions by people of African descent and how the
				  experiences helped to transform America and continue to contribute toward the
				  emergence of a global society.
"Chief school administrator" means the superintendent, the
				  administrative principal if there is no superintendent, or charter school lead
				  person and renaissance school project administrator.
"Commission on Holocaust Education curriculum" means
				  instructional content, materials, and methods that were developed in
				  consultation with the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education and infused
				  into the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) and that meet the
				  Holocaust/genocide mandate set forth at
				  N.J.S.A.
				  18A:35-28. Materials and curricula are
				  designed to enable students to understand that: genocide is a consequence of
				  prejudice, bias, intolerance, and discrimination; issues of moral dilemma and
				  conscience have a profound effect upon a society; and all citizens share a
				  responsibility to oppose prejudice and discrimination in all facets of their
				  lives.
"Comprehensive equity plan" means a plan designed
				  specifically to ensure an equitable educational opportunity is available to all
				  students through the identification and correction of discriminatory and
				  inequitable practices prohibited by State and Federal law.
"Discriminatory practices" means a policy, action, or failure
				  to act that limits or denies equal access to, or benefits from, the educational
				  activities and programs of a school, or that generates or permits injustice or
				  unfair or otherwise inequitable treatment of students or staff on the basis of
				  the protected categories listed at
				  N.J.A.C.
				  6A:7-1.1(a).
"Educational activities and programs" means all activities
				  and programs conducted, sponsored, or permitted by the school during the school
				  day, after regular school hours, on weekends, or during the summer
				  months.
"Educational equity" means a cohesive set of policies,
				  programs, and practices that emphasizes high expectations and achievement
				  patterns, and ensures equitable access to educational opportunity for all
				  learners, including students and teachers.
"Equitable educational opportunity" means the creation of
				  environments that enable the provision of a thorough and efficient education as
				  defined by the NJSLS, differentiated instruction, formative assessments aligned
				  to the NJSLS, and high expectations for teaching and learning in a school
				  district; when the curriculum is designed to enable students to learn and
				  develop an understanding of the events and major contributions by people and
				  groups of people that have shaped and continue to shape the United States of
				  America and the global society; when prejudice and other forms of
				  discrimination have been eliminated in the school district's policies,
				  practices, and curricula, as evidenced through the narrowing of the opportunity
				  gap; and when all students and staff enjoy equitable access to all programs and
				  benefits provided by, or offered within, the school district.
"Equity" means all students have the opportunity to master
				  the goals of the curriculum in an educational environment that is fair, just,
				  and impartial to all individuals. Equity focuses on consistent and systematic
				  access for all students to curriculum, resources, instruction, and environments
				  that sustain opportunities for excellent outcomes.
"Formative assessments" means classroom assessments aligned
				  to the NJSLS administered on an ongoing basis to inform instruction and monitor
				  student progress.
"Gender identity or expression" means having or being
				  perceived as having a gender-related identity or expression whether or not
				  stereotypically associated with a person's assigned sex at birth.
"Multicultural curriculum" means to incorporate throughout
				  the curriculum the experiences, perspectives, and accomplishments of persons of
				  diverse racial and cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, and national origins that
				  comprise the American society. It also means to develop among students a
				  respect for self and others, an appreciation of diversity, and the acquisition
				  of attitudes, skills, and knowledge needed to function effectively with persons
				  of diverse cultures.
"Opportunity gap" means the difference in access to
				  educational activities and programs as a result of membership in one or more of
				  the protected categories listed at
				  N.J.A.C.
				  6A:7-1.1(a).
"Prejudice" means feelings, opinions, attitudes, or
				  perceptions that produce disparate educational or hiring treatment of, or have
				  adverse educational or hiring impact upon, any person or group of persons on
				  the basis of the protected categories listed at
				  N.J.A.C.
				  6A:7-1.1(a).