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Board receives first read of math-textbook selections; teachers favored i-Ready at elementary level
Summary
District staff presented the first reading of a new math-textbook adoption. Elementary teachers and parents favored I-Ready Math Classroom; secondary selections include Envision for core high-school courses. Trustees raised questions about consumable workbooks, availability of hardback textbooks, costs and state review timelines.
Rock Hill School District staff presented the first reading of proposed elementary and secondary math textbooks on March 5, reporting teacher and parent feedback and outlining next steps in the state adoption process.
Ashley Zagilla, an elementary math specialist, said 61% of elementary teacher voting groups preferred I-Ready Math Classroom (Curriculum Associates) and that 12 of 20 parents who reviewed sample materials also favored that publisher. “61% of those voting groups chose I Ready math classroom, by curriculum associates,” Zagilla told trustees, noting teacher praise for diagnostic assessments, fluency supports and family communications built into the materials.
Secondary selections presented by district staff included Envision (Savvas Learning) for Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry; other high-school texts proposed include Blitzer for precalculus, and titles for AP statistics and calculus from Bedford, Freeman & Worth, Cengage and McGraw-Hill, among others. Presenters said all candidate titles on the table had been approved by the State Board of Education; the district’s choice is to select among state-approved options.
Trustees raised multiple concerns during the discussion. Several members asked why many elementary and middle-school options are consumable workbooks rather than hardback textbooks parents and caregivers could take home; staff explained that publishers’ available formats (digital vs. consumable vs. hardback) are constrained by state-approved offerings and by publishing practices, and that a public review period at the state level is the time for parent input. For high-school courses, staff said a hardback textbook option exists and schools’ textbook coordinators can order either a class set or individual student copies depending on teacher request and available funding.
Trustees noted equity considerations for families without reliable home internet or devices if instruction relies heavily on online resources; staff said many publishers include family letters and printed materials and pointed to state-funded resources such as DreamBox that some schools still can access.
No final adoption occurred at the meeting; the item was presented for a first read and will return for final action after the district completes review and procurement steps. Staff recommended continuing outreach to parents during state public-review periods for future adoptions and to clarify which schools will receive consumable materials versus hardback core texts.
