Curriculum & Instruction

Tatum ISD Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Tatum Independent School District believes that every child matters and every moment of their educational experience counts.  Tatum ISD strives to maximize student engagement in ways that make learning meaningful, personal, and encourages a love for learning.  

Additionally, Tatum ISD provides a comprehensive educational program with a wide range of academic and elective courses beginning at the pre-kindergarten level and continuing through high school. Tatum ISD is committed to developing its own curriculum, instruction and assessments to ensure that every child is successful. The intent of our district's curriculum is to provide the following: 

• Relevant and engaging academic experiences, 

• Rigorous assessments that are aligned to the state standards and are administered each 6 weeks to , 

• Targeted interventions for students who have difficulty mastering the learning standards  

• Creative and meaningful extension opportunities that ensure that students graduate from high school ready to successfully meet the challenges of college or the demands of  a rapidly changing global workforce 

Tatum ISD Career and Technical Education Program (CTE) 

The goals of our Career and Technology Program at Tatum ISD is to connect students to their interests, empower them with the information needed to guide them in a direction that makes sense for them and enables them to accomplish their college and career goals.  Ultimately, our CTE program is about helping students become the person they want to be.

Tatum ISD offers a wide variety of courses and programs of study  which allows students to build the foundation of their educational or career related aspirations.  

• Arts and Humanities 

• Business and Industry 

• Multidisciplinary

• Public Services

• Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

In every CTE course that is taught, the goal is to prepare every student for a CTE certification, post-secondary coursework or a career in a workforce area of demand. In  partnership with Panola College  and other higher education institutions, THS students have a program that will prepare them for life. 

Tatum ISD Gifted and Talented Program (GT)

Tatum ISD provides a well-balanced Gifted and Talented curriculum to all students. Identification of GT students begins in the spring of a child's kindergarten education and is continued throughout the senior year. Students are referred by a parent, educator, or by the student 

The student's abilities are assessed through multiple qualitative and quantitative  instruments to determine eligibility. 

 Gifted and Talented Program Referral Windows and Assessment

Kindergarten through Grade 12  students may be referred during the month of October. The assessment begins in January following the Christmas holidays and concludes on the last school day of February. Referral forms and 'Permission to Test’ forms can be obtained by the counselor on your student's campus. Completed referral forms should be returned to the student’s home campus of attendance by 4:00 p.m. on the last day of attendance in the month of October. 

Once identified, students in grades K-5 are served through a pull-out program that involves students in collaboration, projects and competition in UIL activities. In grades 6 - 12, GT students are served through Honor and Dual Credit.   Honor classes in English, Math, Science and Social Studies provide students with a challenging and more rigorous curriculum allowing  students to develop their diverse talents, creativity, and abilities.  

The Gifted and Talented Program objective is to allow students to develop and demonstrate skills in self-directed learning, thinking, research, and communication.  This will be evidenced through the development of innovative products and performances that reflect individuality and creativity and are advanced in relation to students of similar age, experience, or environment.

Tatum ISD English as a Second Language (ESL) 

Limited English Proficient students, with parent approval for ESL program participation, receive English Language Arts and Reading instruction by teachers who are also certified in ESL.  These teachers use integrated second language acquisition methods to help students attain proficiency in the Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing domains of the English language.

In grades PK through 5, these services may be provided by the student’s own ESL certified reading teacher or by an ESL teacher who pulls students into an ESL designated classroom to provide language acquisition support. In grades 6-8, students receive English language acquisition support in their Reading classroom from their ESL certified reading teacher, and in high school, students receive support through their high school English classes with the support of an ESL certified teacher. 

The progress of students in the ESL program is measured annually using both holistic and measurable approaches with the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment (TELPAS).  

The TELPAS assessment measures English proficiency in the speaking, listening, reading, and writing of the English language.  When a student has reached an Advanced High level of proficiency in all four domains and can complete grade level work without accommodation, the student is able to be reclassified as Fluent in the English language.