Table Of ContentDesigning for Diversity Part 2
The Equity and Inclusion Framework for
The National Comprehensive Center
Curriculum Design
The National Comprehensive Center (NC) is one of 20 technical assistance centers supported under the
U.S. Department of Education’s Comprehensive Centers program from 2019 to 2024. The NC focuses on
helping the 19 Regional Comprehensive Centers and state, regional, and local education agencies throughout
the country to meet the daunting challenge of improving student performance with equitable resources.
This publication is in the public domain. While permission to reprint is not necessary, reproductions should be cited as:
). Designing for Diversity Part 2. The Equity and Inclusion
Framework for Curriculum Design.
Alozie, N., Lundh, H., Yang, H., and Parker, C.E. (2021
Rockville, MD: National Comprehensive Center at Westat.
The contents of this publication were developed under a grant from the Department of Education. However, the contents
do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the
Federal government.
A copy of this publication can be downloaded from https://www.compcenternetwork.org/.
www.nationalcompcenter.org
1
The Equity and Inclusion Framework for Curriculum Design
Introduction
An essential element of school improvement is implementing high-quality, standards-based
Designing for
curriculum materials (e.g., materials aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) or
Diversity Part 1, Where is Equity and Inclusion in Curriculum Design?
the K–12 Computer Science Framework) that address the needs of all students. In
we noted the lack of equity and
inclusivity in the creation of widely disseminated curriculum materials. We asked the question: Are
the established approaches to designing and implementing science, technology, engineering,
Equity and Inclusion Framework for Curriculum Design
mathematics, and computer science (STEM+CS) curricula suitable to the diverse needs of students?
In this paper, we introduce The (EI-CD)
approach and Equity and Inclusion Design Principles (EI Design Principles). The framework is
guided by evidence-centered design (ECD) methods originally developed for formative assessment
(Alozie et al., 2018) and the design of instructional materials (Fujii et al., 2020).
The EI-CD approach is intended to support the development of curriculum materials based on
established STEM+CS standards and information about equity and inclusion specific to local
contexts. However, smaller districts and classroom teachers typically do not have the capacity, time,
or other resources required to create their own instructional materials and are often overwhelmed
at the prospect of selecting high-quality materials on their own. District adoption cycles require a
significant investment of time and purchasing budgets and usually take place on extended
multiyear timelines; as a result, teachers sometimes must use older STEM+CS materials as they
await the next adoption (LaVenia, 2020).
This paper describes how the EI-CD approach can be used to review and modify existing curriculum
and instructional materials to meet equity goals. It is intended to help districts and schools work
toward equity and inclusion within the constraints of their current curriculum. At its core, the
EI-CD approach creates feedback loops that are grounded in EI Design Principles and aimed at
continuously learning about and addressing the unique needs of students. The EI-CD approach
makes equity and inclusion central tenets of the curriculum development and/or modification
process.
In the following sections, we explain the EI Design Principles and EI-CD approach (see Appendices
A and B) and provide illustrative cases to demonstrate how STEM+CS curriculum specialists,
An Equity and Inclusion Planning Guide (EI Planning
teachers, and local community groups can collaborate to apply the design principles to existing
Guide)
STEM+CS learning activities and experiences.
EI Planning Guide
for educators and leaders at state and local levels is provided in Appendix B to support the
facilitation of the EI-CD approach. The goal of the is to share goals and visions
aEbqouut ietqyu itayn andd iInncclulsuiosni aonnd c Dolleabsoirgantiv ePlyr minackeip delecissi ons about teaching and learning.
Curriculum design grounded in EI Design Principles takes a systems-thinking approach. It
empowers stakeholders such as curriculum developers, professional development providers, state
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The Equity and Inclusion Framework for Curriculum Design
and district leaders, teachers, parents, students, and the assessment community to collaboratively
engage in deep reflection and ongoing improvement toward educational equity. The EI Design
Principles were developed and informed by empirical research on supporting learners with wide-
ranging experiences and instructional needs (e.g., Mallya et al., 2012; Rose et al., 2005). The
research was then clustered into three design principles with 11 guidelines to align the
Student
curriculum/instructional materials to the principles (e.g., Alozie et al.; Fujii et al., 2020):
Information Engagement
(a) understanding students and the contextual influences on their learning (abbreviated as
Language Supports
); (b) fostering student engagement with learning ( ), and (c) providing
EapIp Droepsriiagten l aPnrgiunagcei psulepp 1or:t sS (tudent Inform)a. tion: Understanding Students
and Contextual Influences on Learning
An essential aspect of designing for diversity is knowing and understanding the student
populations the district serves. Knowledge of students’ cultures and backgrounds is critical for
stakeholder decisions about how to support students’ learning needs (Sleeter, 2011). Stakeholders
should consult various equity indicators, such as achievement status, educational opportunities,
social-emotional supports, climate and culture of the district and local environment, and family
Stakeholders refers to
involvement and knowledge of student learning (Dougherty,
various collaborators
2015; Fabillar, 2018) to determine how to address historical
involved in providing
and sSotucdiaeln itn Ienqfuoirtmieast. i on
equitable and inclusive
The design principle promotes the education in STEM+CS.
cultivation of relationships among stakeholders who know and These stakeholders can be
care about the community and culture and their ability to curriculum developers,
critically examine district-wide assumptions about students professional development
(Margolis et al., 2015). Stakeholders refers to various providers, state and
collaborators involved in providing equitable and inclusive district leaders, teachers,
education in STEM+CS. These stakeholders can be curriculum parents, students, and the
developers, professional development providers, state and assessment community.
Student Information
district leaders, teachers, parents, students, and the assessment
community. supports diversity in voices,
experiences, and expertise in STEM+CS education, thereby
creating opportunities for conversations and learning. These collaborations will encourage
grounding STEM+CS learning in personally and socially relevant contexts and make learning
meaningful to students (Mallya eStt auld.,e 2n0t 1In2f)o. r mation
According to Dougherty (2015), can be used in various ways by districts and
schools. He groups these actions into four categories: (1) clarify school system goals, (2) create
infrastructure for data use, (3) ensure adequate educator knowledge on how to interpret and use
data, and (4) support collaboration among educators. Below, each category is summarized:
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The Equity and Inclusion Framework for Curriculum Design
»
›
Clarify school system goals
Determine a content-rich and standards-aligned curriculum that prepares students for
›
subsequent content-specific learning experiences and identify gaps in student learning
Determine academic and social student behaviors (e.g., diligence in completing challenging
»
tasks) that are important for student success
›
Create an infrastructure for data use
Determine what data teachers and districts need to know so that appropriate actions towards
›
change can be taken
›
Provide a user-friendly electronic data system
Determine student progress by administering ongoing, teacher-generated formative
›
assessments
»
Provide timely and user-friendly reports on school or district progress
›
Ensure adequate educator knowledge on how to interpret and use data
Make knowledge of data use a criterion when hiring teachers and school
›
leaders
»
Embed data use training in ongoing teacher professional learning
›
Support collaboration among educators
›
Promote teacher collaboration around curriculum, instruction, and assessments
Student Information
Bring teachers in the same subject together across schools
is made up of four guidelines (Appendix A) that address Dougherty’s
categories. Guideline 1 is the process of establishing structures and practices for dialogue, learning,
and communication. Guideline 2 is the process of gathering and presenting information about the
achievement status, educational opportunities, social-emotional supports, and climate and culture
of the district and the local environment in which the students live. Guideline 3 is to list potential
collaborators, such as curriculum developers, teachers, parents, and community representatives.
The collaborator list should represent the composition of the community. Guideline 4 is to establish
domain-specific standards that inform the content and sequencing of instructional materials to
EguIi dDee susbigsenq uPernitn mcoidpiflieca 2tio–nEsn ofg aadgoeptmede onr etx:i sFtionsg tceurrriincuglu Smt umdateerniatl sE. ngagement
with Learning
Engagement
The design principle aims to provide multiple opportunities to include students’ life
Engagement
experiences into their learning process. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (CAST, 2015) is a main
precept of . UDL teaching approaches aim to provide students equal opportunities to
succeed, regardless of how they learn. “Multiple modes of engagement” is a UDL principle that
highlights the motivational aspects of learning. The principle states that students engage in
information and activities that are relevant to their interests. Through this principle, the “why” of
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The Equity and Inclusion Framework for Curriculum Design
Engagement
learning is emphasized as are the aspects of learning that motivate students to persist. As such, the
design principle promotes the idea that valuing, leveraging, and supporting students’
culture, language, and interests can sustain learning and promote an identity as a competent
learnEenrg oafg SeTmEeMnt+CS (CS K12, 2016; NRC, 2012).
The design principle consists of three guidelines (see Table 1 and Appendix A).
Guideline 5 identifies intersections between the students’ lives and the learning domain to make
learning relevant and highlights how the content impacts their communities. Guideline 6
encourages the representation of diverse experiences and perspectives to reduce bias and
stereotypes in gender, race, socioeconomic status, geography, cognitive and physical ability, and
other social markers. Guideline 7 supports multiple opportunities for student participation. This
includes the use of visual aids, meaningful activities that are hands-on and encourage reflection,
cEoIl lDabeosraitgionn ,P arnidn ocpippolretu 3ni—tiesL faonr tgaulkaingg ean Sdu wpriptiongr. ts: Providing Appropriate
Language Supports
The language used in instructional materials can support or challenge students’ interpretation and
understanding of the content. There are significant differences between the language and terms
used in STEM+CS disciplines and the language people use in day-to-day communication. To
facilitate students’ learning and participation in STEM+CS fields, instructional materials need to
provide supports and scaffolding for linking students’ cultural and language backgrounds to
domain-specific language (Lee and Buxton, 2013). For instance, Lee and Fradd (1998) argued that
schools and educators must understand the nature and practice of science in combination with
students’ language and cultural experiences when teaching science. This means that using science-
specific vocabulary, grade-level appropriate diction, and sentence structure are important when
developing science instructional materials. Including students’ language and cultural experiences
will aLlasnog huealgpe l aSnugpupaogrets learners not feel alienated in the classroom.
The design principle consists of four guidelines (see Table 1 and Appendix A).
Guideline 8 focuses on using plain language to align learning goals to question prompts. Guideline 9
focuses on the complexity of the language used in the instructional materials, including the
provision of multiple representations for students at different levels to be able to access grade-level
concepts as well as scaffolding to move from one level to another. Guideline 10 supports how well
students comprehend the activities and tasks by eliciting and building on prior knowledge.
Guideline 11 encourages the use of multiple modes of expression with scaffolds, response
templates, and alternative communication tools.
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The Equity and Inclusion Framework for Curriculum Design
The Equity and Inclusion Framework for Curriculum Design and
Modification
What if districts had access to high-quality curriculum materials that integrated equity and
inclusion from the start? Similarly, what if districts had the resources and supports for adapting and
modifying already-adopted curriculum materials for their local needs? The EI-CD approach uses the
structure and systematicity of evidence-centered design (ECD) to apply EI Design Principles to
curriculum design and adaptation that integrates the needs of diverse students. ECD (Mislevy et al.,
2017) is traditionally a systematic design process used to create assessments with complex models
of student proficiency. The systematic approach it takes to define the learning domain and student
expectations also lends itself to curriculum development (e.g., Chiu et al., 2018; Harris et al., 2016).
Ideally, integrating equity and inclusion to address the strengths and needs of students would be
part of the initial design process. However, districts often do not have the time or resources to
develop curriculum from the ground up. The EI-CD approach can be used to modify existing
materials through a thoughtful process of data gathering and interpretation. The goal is to identify
where and how equity and inclusion are lacking, make informed decisions about modifications and
supplements, and incorporate continuous feedback about progress and improvement (see
EI Planning Guide
Figure 1). This avoids simply “tacking on” additional activities as an afterthought. All parts of the
aFpigpuroreac 1h. cEaqnu biet ya cahniedv eindc ulusisnigo nth fer amework for cu (rsreiceu Alpupmen ddeixs iBg)n. approach
Table 1, below, shows how the components of the EI-CD approach in Figure 1 align with the EI
Design Principles and EI Guidelines. Note that Phase 2 of the EI-CD approach can use a combination
of multiple EI guidelines to create the most appropriate learning experiences for the students.
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The Equity and Inclusion Framework for Curriculum Design
Table 1. EI-CD Approach Alignment with EI Design Principles and EI Guidelines
EI-CD approach EI-CD approach EI design EI guidelines
component phase principles
Dialogue and All phases All EI design All EI guidelines
learning principles
1. Gather student 1. Dialogue and Learning
information 2. Student-Centered
2. Identify Information
collaborators 3. Collaborators
Student
3. Identify Phase 1 4. Learning Standards
Information
Curriculum
Specific
STEM+CS
Standards
1. Unpacking the There are no There are no specific EI design
Standards specific EI design guidelines for this component.
principles for this
component.
2. Creating Domain Each of the following EI
Maps guidelines may be considered
3. Creating EI for each component of Phase2:
Learning Goals Engagement
4. Aligning and 5. Cultural Sensitivity
Modifying 6. Engagement and
Phase 2
Contextualization
Learning
Activities to EI Engagement 7. Participation
Design Principles Language Supports Language Supports
5. Implementation 8. Clarity of Prompts and
and Continuous Questions
Feedback 9. Language Complexity
10. Student Comprehension
11. Student Response/
Expression of “Knowledge-
in-Use”
Dialogue and Learning
An important part of the EI-CD approach is to include a variety of stakeholders, such as (but not
limited to) student advocacy groups, nonprofit dropout prevention programs, teachers, students,
informal learning professionals, and local industry members, who can provide their contributions,
experiences, and voices throughout the entire design or modification process. Dialogue among
participants must be organized and facilitated so that everyone can be heard and meaningfully
contribute at all times. This requires building trust through common language, multiple expert
voices, and collaboratively determined issues (including district-specific issues), goals, outcomes,
and guiding questions (Liberman and Young, 2020). Guiding questions help facilitate and support
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The Equity and Inclusion Framework for Curriculum Design
productive and consistent dialogue that promotes learning. For example, questions like, “What are
the main challenges we want to address?” “What does the research say and how can it be applied in
a concrete way?” and “What tools and resources are needed to apply what was learned through
conversation?” can be useful for encouraging collaborators to openly think about how their
Ppehrsaosneal 1ex:p Eerxiepnlcoesr ianliggn t whieth Eredseuacrcaht (iLoibnearml Lana anndds Ycoaupnge, 2 a0n20d). Indicators of Equity
1.1. Gather Student Information (EI Design Principle: Student Information)
Collaboration between local and state leaders must be based on an honest assessment of the
educational needs and strengths throughout the district (see Figure 1and Table 1). The EI-CD
approach reflects state and local commitments to design for particular learning outcomes and to
ensure that the social context is represented in the learning experiences of the students. This
commitment will inform decisions for all design phases of the curriculum modification process.
A recent report (Liberman and Young, 2020) showed how educational stakeholders can work with
community members and district staff to gather student information on equity and diversity. Digital
Promise convened a day-long workshop with The League of Innovative Schools to prioritize equity-
related challenges while considering gaps in existing research and solutions. Participants were also
encouraged to share artifacts to illustrate how they experience these challenges in their unique
contexts. They were given information on current inequities and challenges, strategies for breaking
stereotypes, and opportunities for future equity-centered research. This workshop included
brainstorming on how to make concrete changes and increase opportunities for all students.
Participants considered guiding questions such as, “Were any of the findings surprising to you? Did
any of the findings help you think differently about an aspect of computational thinking? If so, in
what ways?” and “Are there findings that seem relevant to instructional practice but would require
bridging or scaffolding to be more useful? What research translation strategies (e.g., technical
assistance, professional learning/coaching, format, venue) could make those findings more
actionable?” EI Planning Guide
The EI-CD approach uses similar guiding questions (see Appendix B for the ) to
EI Planning Guide
help collaborative groups reflect and act on identified STEM+CS issues as they relate to the local
district. For example, the asks questions like, “How can you improve your
district’s and school’s data management to encourage focused teaching? Is there an electronic
source for teachers to access this information?” “How have you used the data from all local and
state data to inform your decision-making and goal setting?” and “How are you helping your
teachers to be experts in the curriculum? What kinds of professional learning opportunities are
1te.a2c.h ersId pernovtiifdye dC?o”l laborators (EI Design Principle: Student Information)
Engaging a variety of stakeholders in the adoption process is an important part of the EI-CD
approach (see Figure 1 and Table 1). Districts can organize opportunities for stakeholders to give
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The Equity and Inclusion Framework for Curriculum Design
feedback on potential curriculum materials through workshops, surveys, or focus groups (LaVenia,
2020).
For example, the Digital Promise workshop mentioned previously included educational researchers
and K–12 practitioners that were committed to equity and experienced in their subject matter.
Collaborators included teachers, coaches, school and district leaders, developers of educational
products and programs, researchers, and funders (Liberman and Young, 2020). Another example of
assembling collaborators is the Science Projects Integrating Computing and Engineering (SPICE)
project. It included elementary STEM coordinators, math and science teachers, researchers,
professors, graduate students, and former teachers (Chiu et al., 2018). The rich expertise and
experience of the SPICE team were necessary for effectively understanding specific challenges and
needs in the participating districts’ diverse settings. Digital Promise and SPICE created
collaborative groups that reflected diversity in expertise and experiences in STEM+CS and equity
research. We suggest that collaborative groups also reflect the diversity of the communities they
are representing. Community contributions can help ground the conversations in real-world
h1i.s3t.o rieIsd, iesnsutiefsy, aCnudr rnieceudlus.m Specific STEM+CS Standards (EI Design Principle: Student
Information)
Collaborative groups can work together to determine whether curriculum materials are aligned to
STEM+CS standards and whether they apply to the diverse strengths and needs of the students.
Curriculum-specific standards should respond to the diversity of the district and consider the
voices, perspectives, and experiences that may historically have been omitted from STEM+CS.
The SPICE curriculum mentioned above is an example of collaborative groups working together to
align the NGSS standards and the curriculum to provide equitable learning opportunities. According
to Chiu et al. (In Press), “equity in engineering education is not just incorporating students’ and
community-based resources into instruction but creating ways to make students’ personal and
community-based epistemologies more central and valued within engineering learning
e»x periences”O (bpt.4a)in. S aPnIdC Eco wmabsi nbea sinedfo ormn aat cioluns atebro ouft twhareyse iNndGiSvSid puearlf ocormmmanucnei teixeps eucstea stcioiennsc: e ideas to
protect the Earth’s resources and environment.
3-ESS3-1
» Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified
criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5ETS1-1
» Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each
is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
3-5ETS1-2
» Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are
considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
3-5ETS1-3
The content standards for engineering and science were identified to create opportunities for
equitable learning experiences (Chiu et al., in press). The standards were used to leverage and make
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