Curriculum and Instruction

The Santa Fe ISD Curriculum and Instruction Department is responsible for ensuring that all students receive a high-quality education that meets state standards and prepares them for future success. This includes developing and implementing curriculum frameworks, providing professional development for teachers, and utilizing data to inform instructional practices.

The department collaborates closely with campus administration, teachers, parents, and the community to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment.

The goal is to foster academic excellence, critical thinking, and lifelong learning in every student, ensuring they are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Learn more about what SFISD students are learning in the classrooms by clicking on the buttons below.

Elementary Thumbnail graphic for the elementary curriculum documents.

Advanced Academic Programs

District Philosophy

We believe that GT students are a special population with differing academic and affective needs. We believe that the needs of GT students are best met through the collaborative efforts of students, community members, parents, and appropriately trained educators. We believe that GT students should be provided a differentiated curriculum, which will be accelerated, challenging, and relevant. We believe that GT students have the potential to become our future leaders and contribute to the success of our society.

State Definition of Gifted/Talented Students

A gifted/talented student is a child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment and who

exhibits high-performance capability in an intellectual, creative, or artistic area;
possesses an unusual capacity for leadership; or
excels in a specific academic field. (Texas Education Code 29.121)

Program

Students identified as gifted in SFISD will:

develop and use critical and creative thinking skills to produce a variety of advanced-level products.
will conduct advanced levels of research, communicating the results in appropriate modes of expression.
develop a variety of problem solving skills resulting in creative, appropriate solutions.
develop their potential through enrichment and acceleration.
acquire learning skills needed to become self-directed lifelong learners.
develop healthy self-concepts and skills of interaction, including skills of leadership.

Santa Fe ISD Gifted and Talented Parent/Student Handbook

GT Referral Form

Advanced Academics
Dual Credit
Collegiate High School

Credit by Exam

Credit by Examination (CBE) is made available to students four times each year. Students must take criterion-referenced exams. To register for the CBE Exam, the CBE Registration Form must be returned to your Campus Counselor by 3:00 P.M. on one of the 4 testing window dates posted below for the 2025-2026 school year.

CBE Registration Form

Kindergarten Acceleration

For students to qualify for kindergarten acceleration, the student must demonstrate 80% mastery or higher on both a Reading and Math assessment developed by our Curriculum and Instruction department.

Grades 1-5 Acceleration

A district shall accelerate a student in grades 1–5 one grade level if the student meets the following requirements:

The student scores 80 percent or above on a criterion-referenced test for the grade level to be skipped in each of the following areas: language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies;
A district representative recommends that the student be accelerated; and
The student's parent or guardian gives written approval of the acceleration.

Grades 6-12 Credit by Exam

A district shall give a student in grades 6–12 credit for an academic subject in which the student has received no prior instruction if the student scores:

A three or higher on a College Board advanced placement examination that has been approved by the board for the applicable course;
A scaled score of 50 or higher on an examination administered through the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) and approved by the board for the applicable course; or
Eighty percent or above on any other criterion-referenced test approved by the board for the applicable course.

If a student is given credit in a subject on the basis of an examination on which the student scored 80 percent or higher, a district shall enter the examination score on the student's transcript and the student is not required to take an end-of-course (EOC) assessment instrument under Education Code 39.023(c) for the course.

A student may not attempt to earn credit by examination for a specific high school course more than two times.

If a student fails to earn credit by examination for a specific high school course before the beginning of the school year in which the student would ordinarily be required to enroll in that course in accordance with the district's prescribed course sequence, the student must satisfactorily complete the course to receive credit for the course.

Testing Windows

Testing window 3: February 23 - February 27, 2026

The registration form must be returned to your counselor by 3:00 p.m. on February 4, 2026.

Testing window 4: May 11 - May 15, 2026

The registration form must be returned to your Campus Counselor by 3:00 P.M. on April 22, 2026.

For registration forms and/or further information, please contact your school counselor or call:

Santa Fe ISD 409-925-3526

Credit Recovery

ESL

Federal and State Programs

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act

Every Local Education Agency must designate an appropriate staff person as a local homeless education liaison and submit that person's name to the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The Homeless Liaison is available to help campuses and students with the enrollment of students experiencing homelessness. Santa Fe ISD uses a student residency questionnaire and interviews to help determine whether or not a student qualifies as homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act.

For additional information contact: