Khalil Gibran International Academy

Khalil Gibran International Academy had historically seen low math Regents scores. As a small school, teacher turnover had also affected continuity in math instruction and contributed to gaps in student proficiency.

The school's new Illustrative Mathematics curriculum supported classroom learning but did not align as closely with the Regents exam as school leaders needed. This left some students with gaps between their mathematical knowledge and the specific content and skills required on the exam.

Many students were close to the passing threshold and needed focused support to close that final gap. Four ENL students were identified by the school as being at particularly high risk of not passing.

In spring 2025, Toolkit tutor Gesifed Paucar provided pull-out tutoring three days per week. He began by reviewing each student's historical performance data to identify specific content gaps and exam skills that needed attention.

Each student received 12 weeks of intensive one-to-one tutoring. Gesifed used multiple practice exams and hundreds of practice questions, selecting and adapting the work to match each student's individual learning needs.

School leadership also valued Gesifed's ability to support students in push-in, pull-out, and stand-alone tutoring settings, as well as the positive relationships he developed across the school community.

• Spring 2025 tutoring cycle
• 12 weeks of tutoring
• Intensive one-to-one support
• Three days per week
• Historical performance review
• Regents-aligned practice exams

Every student assigned to Gesifed passed the Algebra I Regents exam. The result included students who had entered the program near the passing threshold and whom the school had identified as needing especially focused support.

School leadership credited Gesifed's preparation, initiative, and strong relationships with students, staff, and administrators as important strengths of the program.