Colleton County School District (CCSD) is a diverse, high-needs district in rural South Carolina, about 40 miles from Charleston.
In 2022, more than half of CCSD students failed the End-of-Course Algebra 1 assessment, underscoring the challenges facing district leaders and teachers.
“The 2022-23 school year was my first year here,” said Laura Johnson, CCSD’s secondary content specialist and the 2026-27 president of South Carolina Leaders of Mathematics Education. “Our district has an 85% poverty rate and 100% free lunch rate. We’re also one of the lower-paid districts in the state. Districts 45 minutes away pay teachers $20,000 to $30,000 more a year, which leads to a high turnover rate. But the great thing about our district is our staff's dedication. Our teachers care deeply about our children and our community, and they are committed to continuously improving outcomes for every child.”
To address ongoing teacher shortages, CCSD has relied in part on virtual teachers. “When I started, three of the 10 math teachers at our middle school and four of the 10 at our high school were virtual teachers,” she said.
The district also relies on teachers from other countries who come to the United States on five-year teaching visas. International teachers typically fill more than half of middle and high school math teaching positions. “In 2025-26, our high school math department was composed entirely of international educators,” said Johnson. “We’re so grateful for the contributions they make to our schools and community. We wish we could keep them all for more than five years at a time!”
To help students prepare for state assessments, CCSD’s middle school and high school began using Math Nation+ during the 2022-23 school year. Math Nation+ is a supplemental math program designed to complement any core math curriculum.
At first, students primarily used the program’s digital Test Yourself practice tool. In subsequent years, teachers and students gradually expanded their use of Math Nation+ components, including the workbooks and Study Expert videos. As usage increased, student performance improved.
From 2022 to 2025, the percentage of CCSD students scoring C or above on the End-of-Course Algebra 1 assessment increased by more than 6 percentage points, while the percentage scoring an F decreased by more than 13 percentage points.
In 2025-26, CCSD adopted the Math Nation: South Carolina program as its core curriculum for grades 6 through Algebra 2. “It was an easy vote for our math teachers. Everybody wanted Math Nation,” said Johnson.
Math Nation: South Carolina is 100% aligned to the 2025 South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Mathematics Standards. It provides everything needed for core instruction, including differentiation, remediation, acceleration, personalized learning, additional skills practice, and assessment.
To launch the core curriculum, CCSD held half-day training sessions for teachers. The Math Nation trainer modeled the program’s problem-based teaching philosophy while guiding teachers through the platform from both student and teacher perspectives.
“Our teachers really enjoyed learning from the student perspective,” said Johnson. “Many shared that the training gave them a clearer understanding of how to implement the program in their classrooms. It was exciting to see them return to their schools and begin using those same strategies with their students right away.”
With a problem-based core curriculum, CCSD teachers can maintain high expectations while supporting students in accessing grade-level content.
“In a district like ours, there will be students who are performing below grade level,” said Johnson. “However, we believe all students can engage in rigorous, grade-level learning. Our teachers use Math Nation’s resources and targeted supports to help students build the skills they need while continuing to move forward with grade-level content.”
According to Johnson, that approach has helped students grow academically while maintaining high expectations for success.
“We have to aim for rigor,” she said. “What good would it do to make everything easy every day? How would students grow? Math Nation has helped improve our test scores because teachers know we can do difficult work with our students. Our students have the ability. We have the ability. We can all do this together.”
The curriculum design invites students to the math and supports deeper exploration through collaboration and inquiry. Students then synthesize their understanding through performance-based tasks.
“In the past, we taught skills in isolation — learn the skill and move on. We didn’t have the right materials to guide students through mathematical thinking,” said Johnson. “Now we have tools that let us dive deeper, so students develop a stronger understanding of the math and why it matters.”
Each lesson includes instructional videos taught by Study Experts, who teach the same material in different ways and at different paces. “We appreciate the videos because they provide another way for students to learn material they may be struggling with in class,” she said.
Students also use digital and print workbooks that complement the Study Expert videos and provide additional practice. “Teachers love the workbooks. They also like that students can close their Chromebooks and use paper and pencil. And if students need more support, the videos are there for them,” she said.
Students use the practice tools at the end of each lesson and unit — such as the Test Yourself spiral review assessments — to test their knowledge and receive instant feedback and resources to target gaps in their understanding.
“The Test Yourself questions really challenge students,” said Johnson. “At first, students may say, ‘Oh, it’s so hard.’ But then they work through it, and we celebrate because we know how difficult the questions are.”
Each year after the EOCEP Algebra 1 assessment, Johnson asks students whether the annual Test Yourself! Challenge helped them prepare. “Students always say the Test Yourself! Challenge was hard, but it made them feel ready for the state test,” she said. “Some even say it was harder than the test, and I tell them, ‘Isn’t that great you were so prepared that the test felt easier?’”
While students benefit from practice tools and videos, teachers can also access resources, such as lesson-preparation videos, to support their instruction.
“Teachers access the lesson prep videos to help them prepare for teaching new standards for their grade level or for ideas of how to introduce new material,” said Johnson. “This is especially helpful for teachers who are teaching a different grade level from the one they taught the year before.”
Johnson relies on the videos as well. “I taught high school math for 25 years. When I came here, I had just finished teaching honors calculus and honors pre-calculus,” she said. “There have been times I’ve gone to the lesson prep videos or Study Expert videos to make sure I wasn’t overcomplicating things for our middle school students. I count on those videos to guide my teachers in areas where I’m not experienced.”
The Study Expert videos are helpful for resource teachers as well.
“I’ve shown our resource teachers how to access the Study Expert videos, so they have an expert in the room when they need it. That’s been a big help to our resource teachers who instruct multiple subjects and grades. The videos allow the exceptional learning teacher and classroom teacher to collaborate on instruction,” said Johnson.
Teachers and leaders appreciate that the Math Nation curriculum structure is consistent across grades, units, and lessons, so the student experience is simple and seamless.
“One of Math Nation’s biggest benefits is the consistency from sixth grade through Algebra 2. Students learn the routines and continue them in high school. There’s comfort in that. It keeps the flow going,” said Johnson.
In a district like CCSD with high teacher turnover, that consistency is important. “Even if all of the teachers in one grade level are new, teachers in the other grades can help them.”
Since the district began using Math Nation four years ago, Johnson has seen a shift in math classrooms.
“Teachers are more comfortable with deeper mathematical thinking and raising expectations for students,” said Johnson. “We’ve also seen students become more comfortable with math, and they appreciate the support and resources available to help them succeed.”
While there’s still work to do, teachers, leaders, and students know they’re on the right path.
“Every year, our mathematics instruction continues to improve, and both teachers and students grow more confident in their abilities. The progress we have made is a testament to the dedication of our staff, the hard work of our students, and our shared commitment to continuous improvement,” said Johnson. “We’re proud of how far we’ve come. We’ve faced so many challenges, and yet through it, we’ve continued to improve against all odds.”
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