(1) "Bias" means a mental leaning or inclination, or partiality.

(2) "Commonality" means a sharing of common features, characteristics, or traits, or all of these.

(3) "Cultural groups" means groups that identify by the factors of race, ethnicity, region, religion, gender, language, socioeconomic status, age, or disability.

(4) "Cultural linguistic patterns" means the patterns of language unique to each cultural group.

(5) "Discrimination" means an act of exclusion prompted by prejudice.

(6) "Diversity" means differences based on, but not limited to race, ethnicity, region, religion, gender, language, socioeconomic status, age, and disability.

(7) "Ethnicity" means the classification or affiliation of any of the racial groups or national divisions of people.

(8) "Master plan" means the comprehensive plan required by Education Article, §5-401, Annotated Code of Maryland, that describes the goals, objectives, and strategies that will be used to improve student achievement and meet State performance standards and local performance standards in each segment of the student population.

(9) "Master plan annual update" means the annual plan update submitted by each local board for review and approval by the State Superintendent on or before October 15 of each year as required by Education Article, §5-401, Annotated Code of Maryland.

(10) "Pluralistic society" means the existence within a nation or a society of groups distinctive in ethnic origin, cultural patterns, religion, or the like.

(11) "Prejudice" means an implied, preconceived, and unreasonable judgment or opinion, usually an unfavorable one marked by suspicion, fear, intolerance, or hatred.

(12) "Racism" means unequal or discriminatory treatment of, or attitudes towards, individuals or groups based on race.

(13) "Sexism" means unequal or discriminatory treatment of, or attitudes towards, individuals or groups based on gender.

(14) "Stereotype" means the belief that all the individuals of a certain group will be the same and behave in the same way.

(1) Staff development and other forms of technical assistance to help with implementation of this chapter;

(2) Criteria, for use by local school systems in evaluating and selecting instructional materials and assessments for schools, which ensure that proper recognition is given to cultural groups:

(3) An annotated resource guide that:

(a) Assists local school systems in developing effective instruction, curricula, and staff development programs, and

(b) Is a synthesis of multicultural education resources identified; and

(4) Cross-referenced matches of multicultural goals with Maryland School Performance Program outcomes and curricular frameworks for all disciplines.

(a) Emphasis on correcting the omissions and misrepresentations of African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, women, and individuals with disabilities;

(b) The history of cultural groups and their contributions in Maryland, in the United States, and in the world;

(c) Historic events, situations, conflicts, and interpretations from diverse perspectives;

(d) Political, social, and economic conditions which cultural groups have experienced and continue to experience in the United States; and

(e) As appropriate, issues of racism, sexism, bias, and prejudice as these affect the behavior and experience of individuals and groups.

(a) Valuing one's heritage;

(b) Valuing the uniqueness of cultures other than one's own;

(c) Valuing the richness of cultural diversity and commonality;

(d) Respecting diverse cultural groups throughout the world;

(e) Awareness of and sensitivity to individual differences within various cultural groups; and

(f) Eliminating stereotypes related to race, ethnicity, region, religion, gender, socioeconomic status, age, and individuals with disabilities.

(1) Goal. To provide Pre-K—12 instruction which will enable students to develop an understanding of and appreciation for cultural groups as an integral part of education for a culturally pluralistic society.

(2) The instructional program shall:

(a) Promote a school climate that reflects the diversity of the community;

(b) Promote a school climate in which different cultural linguistic patterns are respected;

(c) Promote grouping of students to reflect cultural diversity;

(d) Ensure that a student may not be denied access to equally rigorous academic instruction on the basis of cultural background;

(e) Use instructional activities which recognize and appreciate students' cultural identities and learning styles;

(f) Address racism, sexism, bias, discrimination, and prejudice;

(g) Use organizations promoting cultural and ethnic understanding;

(h) Use instructional activities that promote an understanding of and a respect for a variety of ways of communicating, both verbal and nonverbal;

(i) Use instructional materials which reinforce the concept of the United States as a pluralistic society within a globally interdependent world while recognizing our common ground as a nation;

(j) Incorporate multicultural instructional materials in all subject areas; and

(k) Provide opportunities for students to analyze and evaluate social issues and propose solutions to contemporary social problems.

(1) Goal. To include in staff development experiences that prepare school system personnel to design, manage, implement, and evaluate multicultural education.

(2) The experiences in §D(1) of this regulation include:

(a) Activities which involve professional and support staff in exploring attitudes and feelings about their own cultural identity;

(b) Activities to identify instructional strategies, techniques, and materials appropriate for education that is multicultural;

(c) Training in assessing the prior knowledge, attitudes, abilities, and learning styles of students from varied backgrounds in order to develop multicultural instructional programs;

(d) Training to recognize and correct stereotyping, discrimination, bias, and prejudice;

(e) Training for fostering greater intergroup understanding;

(f) Training to recognize and correct the omissions and misrepresentations of groups and individuals in curriculum and instruction;

(g) Training to recognize and correct inequitable participation in school activities by students and staff from different backgrounds; and

(h) Training to identify human resources for education that is multicultural.

(1) Materials that avoid stereotyping, discrimination, bias, and prejudice;

(2) Materials that reflect the diverse experiences relating to cultural groups and individuals;

(3) Instructional materials in all content areas that represent society as multicultural; and

(4) Human resources to help students demonstrate an understanding of and respect for cultural diversity.