Curriculum committee reviews district math textbook selection process; state-approved list will drive local choices

Horry County Schools' curriculum committee received an informational presentation describing the district’s math textbook selection process and the recommended instructional materials to support revised state mathematics standards.

District staff said the textbook-selection process begins with a state review panel that evaluates submitted instructional materials against revised standards and produces a list of state-recommended materials. District leaders then host a textbook caravan so school representatives, teachers and community members can review materials in person; each school sent at least one representative to the caravan this year.

Locally, a textbook-selection committee reviewed materials from state-approved vendors. The committee described its composition as one teacher representative from each school (who gathered input from teachers at their school), two administrators with one vote each, two related-service educators (ASOL) with one vote each, and community members with up to three votes. Committee members scored materials with a rubric that emphasized alignment to college- and career-readiness standards, measures of rigor and assessment, and teacher and student supports. The materials were ranked by voters; the set with the highest number of first-choice rankings was recommended.

District staff listed recommended materials by level and course. For elementary and middle grades the presentation recommended Envision (Savvas Learning Company) as the top option. At the high school level, the recommendations cited Math Nation (Accelerate Learning) for some College Preparatory (CP) courses and Envision (Savvas) for honors options; other course-level recommendations named materials from Pearson, Cengage and Bedford, Freeman & Worth. District staff said detailed vote results and the committee’s rubrics are available with the agenda materials on the district website.

Staff emphasized implementation planning: the state will be notified of district selections, ordering will begin once state processes allow, professional development will begin in the summer, and full implementation is planned for school year 2025–26. The district also said it will form a committee to refine the selection process for future adoptions, including rubrics, parent feedback materials and textbook-caravan logistics.

Committee members asked whether the district must choose only from the state-approved list; staff said districts are required to adopt materials from the list. The presentation also clarified that vote percentages shown in slides reflect the share of committee members who ranked a set of materials as their first option, not the share endorsing that material over all others. A district presenter said that for some courses there were more candidate options (as many as eight), which can reduce the first-choice percentage even if a book is the top-ranked option.

No formal adoption vote occurred at the committee meeting; staff said the slides were informational and the detailed results will be shared with the full board and posted to the agenda packet.