The Palmetto Education Summit 2026

Learn how mixing different types of math problems—rather than grouping them by skill—dramatically strengthens students’ retention and problem-solving. In this interactive session, teachers will examine the cognitive science behind interleaving practice, experience classroom-ready examples, and plan lessons that weave new and prior skills together. Leave with practical strategies to help students make connections, think flexibly, and retain essential concepts well beyond the unit test.

What does it take to move evidence-based strategies from professional development into consistent classroom practice? This session highlights a district–research partnership focused on implementing Interleaving Practice Format (IPF) and Worked Solution Strategy (WSS). Participants will explore a three-step model: collaborative professional learning to build understanding, instructional coaching to support lesson design, and follow-up coaching for in-class implementation and refinement. Through classroom examples and planning artifacts, this session demonstrates how districts can move beyond isolated PD to build coherent systems that support teacher learning and improve student outcomes. Attendees will leave with a practical framework for sustaining research-based practices in mathematics instruction.

Have you ever heard the phrase, "I'm just not a math person." If so, this session is for you. Participants will gain insights on how using Concrete-Representational-Abstract (CRA) across all grade levels can create math kids and improve math outcomes. Through CRA, students develop a tactile and visual "anchor" for math concepts that create lasting mental representations that students can use when they encounter difficult abstract problems. In addition, CRA ensures students understand the why behind a procedure before moving to the abstract stage, preventing students from just memorizing steps they don't understand. When students understand the underlying concepts, they are better able to apply mathematical skills to new, real-world situations. Are you ready, let's do some math!

Independent research, including a large-scale randomized control trial, shows Zearn Math has a statistically significant impact on student math achievement — earning the program the highest rating from Evidence for ESSA. Across this evidence base one takeaway is consistent: results are strongest when students complete 3+ grade-level lessons each week. In this panel session, South Carolina district and school leaders will reflect on their first year implementing Zearn Math to support grade-level learning. Participants will come away with actionable strategies to promote consistent usage and drive impact, including: Dedicating consistent time in the schedule each week for students to use ZearnSupporting teachers and leaders with dedicated training Developing routines for reviewing data in order to support student progress and engagement By the end of the session, participants will leave with concrete implementation strategies they can apply to strengthen math instruction and support student success.

Every student falls behind in math at some point. But with the right support, all kids can catch up and succeed in grade-level math learning. This session will explore how real-world context and visual representations help students make connections to the big math ideas that structure math learning, allowing them to build deep understanding of prior concepts while learning new content.  Participants will: Examine two math problems that use students’ prior mathematical knowledge and real-world contexts to create on-ramps to new concepts Explore how solving with visual representations, such as hands-on and digital manipulatives, activates and teaches foundational concepts while building a deep mathematical understanding of new content Uncover new strategies to help students build confidence and succeed in grade-level instruction By the end of the session, participants will be motivated to approach math learning as the evolution of a few big ideas—helping students build connections across concepts and grades and giving them a way into new learning.

As schools plan for the upcoming school year, Zearn supports educators in using the platform alongside high-quality math curriculum to help every student access grade-level math learning. Join Zearn Academic Director Kyle Fatling to explore how Zearn strengthens instructional coherence across core instruction and intervention through a Concrete–Representational–Abstract (CRA) approach. Participants will explore: Using Zearn as a coherent companion to high-quality curriculum, reinforcing the same big math ideas, representations, and models students encounter in core instruction Pacing guidance that fits a classroom or school while maintaining alignment to grade-level learning goals Practical tools educators can use immediately in planning and coaching to ensure consistent, rigorous, and connected math experiences for all students.

Too often, mathematics instruction relies on isolated skills and assumptions about what students know, leading to gaps in understanding and inconsistent progress. This session will explore how learning progressions provide a clear, research-based roadmap for developing numeracy by making student thinking visible and connecting concepts across grade levels. Participants will deepen their understanding of the purpose and benefits of learning progressions, including how they support conceptual understanding, guide instructional decision-making, and ensure all students have access to grade-level mathematics through intentional scaffolding and extension.Beyond simply developing learning progressions, this session focuses on making them an actionable tool for everyday instruction. Attendees will learn how to unpack standards, identify prerequisite skills, and use progressions to design aligned lessons, targeted small group instruction, and meaningful formative assessment opportunities. Through practical examples and collaborative discussion, educators will leave with strategies to actively use learning progressions to drive numeracy success, respond to student needs in real time, and move from guessing about student understanding to making informed, impactful instructional decisions.

Many students approach word problems through “number plucking,” extracting numerals without understanding context. This session highlights a progression that moves students toward deep comprehension and authentic problem solving, with a focus on how intentional teacher questioning supports meaning-making and shifts instruction from answer-getting to sense-making. Participants will explore a progression from number plucking to true problem solving, beginning with identifying common misconceptions and moving to the use of numberless word problems to build understanding. Emphasis will be placed on how purposeful teacher questioning supports students in analyzing, discussing, and making sense of problem situations. Practical strategies and sample tasks will be shared to support immediate classroom application.