HORIZONS Gifted & Talented

HORIZONS is the program that serves gifted and talented students in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD.

UPCOMING EVENTS

THE identification, referral and screening process

Parents interested in referring their child for testing should follow the district process during the open window of time.

HORIZONS HIGHLIGHTS

Check out the most recent news and happenings about the exciting things our Gifted & Talented (GT) students are doing all over the district!

resources for parents of GT students

View a listing of resources for parents of GT students, including parenting tips, professional organizations, and more!

Program Overview

HORIZONS Program Philosophy

The HORIZONS Program of Cypress-Fairbanks ISD is dedicated to providing quality instruction to meet the needs of gifted and talented students. The HORIZONS curriculum is firmly embedded in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills objectives, the state mandated curriculum of the Texas Education Agency. We recognize that gifted and talented students require differentiation of their curriculum in pace, depth, or complexity to provide an appropriate level of challenge and to allow students to reach their full academic potential.

We believe students in the HORIZONS program benefit academically and emotionally when given opportunities to develop effective inter- and intrapersonal skills related to their giftedness; to develop advanced, self-directed learning skills; to internalize advanced processing skills; and to develop original products of relative complexity and sophistication.

We believe students learn best when provided multi-sensory instructional services which are both age and ability appropriate. In addition, we believe these students need instructional time to work with age peers, to work with intellectual peers, and to work alone in independent study.

We believe the instructional program for gifted and talented students should challenge and stimulate students to excel as independent, responsible, contributing members of society.

Mission of the HORIZONS Program

Goals for the HORIZONS Program

Ensure that the curriculum includes appropriate levels of extension, enrichment, and acceleration to improve students’ intellectual curiosity
Offer a wide variety of learning opportunities that encourage students to refine their creative and problem-solving skills
Provide teachers with current philosophy and methodology for gifted education
Establish communication with parents to create partnerships that promote their children’s social and emotional well-being and confidence as students.

HORIZONS Parent Advisory Committee

K-12 Program Services

Kindergarten

Grades 1‐12

Identified students are grouped together so that they are provided opportunities to work with their intellectual peers. Starting in 1st grade, identified gifted students receive services in language arts, math, social studies, and science.

All HORIZONS classes seek to meet the social, emotional, and intellectual needs of gifted students through a variety of learning experiences including independent study and research.

Secondary
HORIZONS‐Only
Courses

Grades 6‐12 HORIZONS courses are designated specifically for gifted students. These specific courses are open only to identified gifted students:

6th grade‐World Cultures H
7th grade‐ Texas History H
8th grade‐ US History H
9th grade‐ English I H, World Geography H
10th grade‐English II H, World History H, World Geography H
11th grade‐World Geography H
12th grade‐World Geography H

Students may also receive services through one of these designations:

Level 1/HORIZONS (middle school) or
K‐level/HORIZONS (high school) cluster courses.

These cluster classes allow gifted students to work with their intellectual peers.
In all cases, HORIZONS‐designated instruction is presented by teachers who have completed a minimum of 30 hours of required training in gifted education.

Advanced‐Level Products

The Texas Education Agency requires teachers to engage students identified as gifted in the development of advanced‐level products and performances and in opportunities for students to accelerate in their areas of strength. You may refer to http://texaspsp.org/ to find more information about the state initiative to assist students in the production of new knowledge, not simply reproducing information.

Cypress‐Fairbanks ISD established the HORIZONS Showcase to provide an arena for students to showcase their advanced products. Review the HORIZONS website to find the dates for the HORIZONS Showcase held each year.