Office of the Superintendent of Schools
Office of Academics
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Selection Of District-Created Curriculum
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The Houston Independent School District (HISD) asks the School Board to fulfill its statutory duty and approve the superintendent's recommendation to use the New Education System (NES) curriculum.
Approval of the use of curriculum is typically done in the spring each year in alignment with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) deadline to confirm the district is covering 100 percent of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Districts also request approval of the use of curriculum at the time the State Board of Education (SBOE) releases a new approved list of curricular products in a particular content area or grade band. For example, the SBOE released a new approved list for use in kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) science in November 2023.
The NES curriculum is designed to meet 100 percent of the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) and 100 percent of the TEKS. It is also designed to align to research-based learning and instructional concepts as articulated in TEA's instructional materials quality rubrics. The development of this curriculum allows NES to tailor resources to the NES model and to meet the diverse needs of HISD's student population.
The state does not require any district to use materials on the SBOE adopted list. Districts have the local authority to select materials based on local needs of the students in the district. To support districts in these efforts, the state reviews instructional materials to ensure coverage of 100 percent of ELPS and at least 50 percent of TEKS. The state publishes the results of these reviews on an approved list. The state does not currently review the locally developed curriculum of any district.
COST/FUNDING SOURCE(S):
The development and implementation of this curriculum are supported by state funds allocated specifically for instructional resources, ensuring no additional financia...
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