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District recommends i‑Ready for elementary math despite teacher runoff favoring Eureka
Summary
At a committee meeting the district’s curriculum office presented a recommendation to adopt i‑Ready for K–5 math, citing alignment and cost considerations, although teacher votes favored Eureka in a runoff. The adoption will continue through required readings before final board approval.
The Berkeley County School District’s academics and innovation committee on April 7 advanced a first reading of spring 2025 textbook adoptions and heard a substantive recommendation on K–5 elementary math.
Jennifer Crowley, director of curriculum and instruction, and Dr. Gilman described the local adoption process, which the district performed under the South Carolina Department of Education’s instructional materials rules and board policy IFAA. Committees of classroom teachers, school administrators and instructional coaches reviewed state‑adopted materials and each school submitted votes.
Crowley reported that for elementary math a runoff left teacher preference for the program Eureka, but the Department of Curriculum and Instruction recommended adopting i‑Ready for K–5. In explaining the recommendation, administration cited financial and academic factors: the district already invests in i‑Ready (noted in the presentation as $292,778 for the diagnostic and personalized learning platform), i‑Ready’s package includes teacher tools and diagnostics, and district analysis found Eureka would require substantial local modifications to fully align with South Carolina standards. The presentation said adopting Eureka would also require additional investment for math manipulatives; the specific dollar amount given in the spoken record was unclear in the transcript and is therefore not specified here.
Dr. Gilman told the committee that for secondary mathematics and Physics 2 the department’s recommendation aligns with the teacher vote and those adoptions were presented without reservation. Committee members approved moving the recommended list forward as a first reading; Dr. Gilman noted the adoption process will include two committee readings before final board approval and that printed review copies are available in the boardroom for the public to examine during the reading period.
Administration emphasized that the state funded the math instructional materials adoption this cycle and that the district’s recommendation considered ease of implementation, alignment to South Carolina College and Career Ready Standards and long‑term financial implications. The committee recorded the first reading and will consider a final recommendation after the required review period.
