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Board approves first reading of district test textbooks after debate over Eureka Math and I-Ready
Summary
At its April 22 meeting the Berkeley County Board of Education approved a first reading of the district'selected test textbooks, choosing I-Ready after staff reported alignment and cost problems with Eureka Math.
BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. —April 22, 2025
The Berkeley County Board of Education on Tuesday approved the first reading of the district'selected test textbooks, following staff testimony that Eureka Math did not fully align with state standards and would require expensive manipulatives. The committee and board voted 7-0 to advance the materials.
School board Committee on Academics and Innovation Chair Kathy Littleton brought the recommendation from the committee and asked the board to approve the first reading. District staff member Miss Crowley explained the curriculum review that led administrators to recommend I-Ready over Eureka Math.
Miss Crowley said the teachers had initially selected Eureka Math, but that district reviewers found multiple standards "not included" and that the math manipulatives required by Eureka were not supported by the state department. "If we adopt Eureka math as a district, we will have to purchase those math manipulatives with the current amount of students that we had would cost the district over $400,000," Crowley said. She also told the board 19 standards were "not found to be fully addressed or missing entirely" and that adopting Eureka would require altering the scope and sequence, adding "25 to 30 instructional days."
The board discussed the curricular alignment and fiscal implications before voting to advance the first reading. The vote approves moving the textbook recommendation forward for final adoption steps required by district policy and state guidance; the first reading does not finalize permanent adoption until subsequent board action.
The decision follows the South Carolina Department of Education's guidance on textbook selection and alignment, which district staff reported they used in the review process. Board members emphasized the time school staff invested in reviewing the options and the need to align materials to the district vision.
Next steps include any required public review or administrative steps before a final board vote on adoption. The board recorded the first-reading approval as part of its April 22 business meeting.
