Students realize that having math skills are important in the real world.

Mathematics are present in many life aspects like timing, attentiveness and structure, high school students told The New York Times for a 2022 article about math’s importance. 

But in South Carolina, math students are struggling. Third- to eighth-graders in 64 schools in the state are underperforming, with 50% or more students scoring in the “does not meet expectations” category on the SC READY math assessment. 

The Palmetto Math Project, an initiative by the state Department of Education, aims to solve the issue using hired math specialists, high-dose tutoring and new instructional materials.  

The project has set a goal of moving 75% of the students tested into the category of “meets/exceeds expectations” by 2030. 

Elizabeth Schumpert, the initiative’s team leader, said she relates to many of the children because she was an average student when she was young. 

“Instead of talking to them about the how and the tricks of doing math, I really made sure that my students understood the ‘why’ behind the math, because I think that’s what I was missing as a student,” she said. 

Schumpert taught for 26 years in the Saluda County Schools district, becoming an assistant principal and an interim principal before moving into the statewide Palmetto Math leadership role in July 2024. 

The state hired five math specialists around that time, building the program during its pilot year before it launched in January 2025. 

Schools involved with the program are divided into three tiers. Tier 1 schools don’t qualify for the initiative based on higher test scores. Tier 2 schools are eligible for the program but don’t require intensive support. Tier 3 includes the 64 schools where students receive intensive support. 

Schumpert said she and her team evaluate which schools are in need specifically for fifth and eighth graders, as they’re the predictors of how students will progress from elementary to middle school. More than 100 of the 157 schools that are eligible for the program are middle schools. 

Palmetto Math now has 15 math specialists. They are assigned to the 64 schools based on their location, dividing the state into four regions: the Lowcountry, the Upstate, Pee Dee and Midlands. 

Midlands Math Specialist Xavier Amaker and other specialists come up with strategies for the teacher to use and engage with their class.

They get together four or five times a month to share and review information with their colleagues. 

Amaker rotates between four schools in the Midlands each week. He and other specialists teach using the Concrete Representational Abstract Model. 

The model is used to support student learning by using manipulatives and pictorial representations to help students develop a conceptual understanding of mathematics rather than memorizing the steps and routines, Schumpert said.

Schumpert said the model helps students fully understand what they’re learning through concepts and more open-ended learning, stepping in to help them apply their skills when needed.

“Primary school teachers (are) really good at using that model that’s using the manipulative pictures to help students understand to learn the math,” Schumpert said. “But by the time we get to upper-elementary and middle school, students aren’t comfortable using those strategies. Students don’t understand the ‘why’ behind their math. And that’s why we’re really focusing (on) upper-elementary and middle schools.”

Amaker previously taught from third to eighth grade as a math and science teacher. He said he teaches using an asset-based approach, working closely with teachers to build on their strengths and further understanding for students. 

“Coming in and not looking at their deficits, but looking at the strategies and tools that they have as students was the approach I took, not just with the students, but with the teachers as well,” Amaker said. 

Amaker and teachers discuss a unit plan for each learning concept they’re teaching to students, explaining the goals for the class to increase understanding of subjects where classes may struggle. 

But some students show reluctance to socialize with teachers, so Amaker said it’s very important to find a way to relate to students and tear down their walls.

“If we find a way in something that we relate to, that some kind of common ground, it makes the day go easier, it makes the lessons go easier and they, in turn, want to learn and want to seek out your advice,” Amaker said. 

Each class varies in student personalities, he said, and that affects teaching. He said he would have a more energetic class, for example, do more active, movement-based activities so students can absorb what they’re learning. 

Amaker said the program is relieving for him, as he’s able to provide the support he wished he had in school.

“I’m just trying to give as much resources, as much support to the teacher, you know, helping students, that’s our end product,” Amaker said. 

Schumpert said the program’s end goal is to get every student to believe they’re more than capable of success in math, changing the mindset of each child, one at a time. 

“All kids are math kids,” Schumpert said. “It is no longer acceptable in the state of South Carolina for students, parents or teachers to say, ‘I’m not a math person, my child’s not a math person,’ because when we do that, we are allowing them to believe that they cannot be successful in math. But we’ve got to believe that all students are math kids, all students are able to achieve grade-level success in math.”