A New Equation for Success:
An NYC School's Journey
to Math Acceleration
I.S. 303 Herbert S. Eisenberg
Brooklyn, New York
Executive Summary
I.S. 303 boosted students’ math proficiency with one year of high-impact tutoring with Saga Education. The school achieved this success by integrating Saga’s program seamlessly into the school day, increasing student engagement and confidence.
Key Takeaways
- Scheduling tutoring as a regular class fosters student engagement and confidence.
- On-site Saga staff and strong school integration are crucial for success.
- Live-online tutoring effectively prepares students for computer-based standardized testing.
- Consistent and dedicated tutoring dramatically improved student math outcomes and confidence.
In 2024, I.S. 303 Herbert S. Eisenberg in Brooklyn faced a challenge: only 41% of its students were achieving proficiency in mathematics. A year later, after a strategic partnership with Saga Education for high-impact tutoring, that number grew to 58% for grades 6–8 in the school. This progress highlights the profound impact of integrating well-run, high-impact tutoring into the school day.
“That type of movement is amazing,” said Shanesha White Bailey, I.S. 303’s principal. “Most schools go up maybe 3-6%, but to have a 17% jump in overall proficiency — I’m celebrating.” The school, which is located in the Brighton Beach and Coney Island neighborhoods, serves approximately 445 students, a diverse population that includes a large number of English language learners, with a growing number of Russian, Ukrainian, and Spanish-speaking families, as well as many students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Given these complex learning needs, the gains achieved by I.S. 303 underscore how evidence-based high-impact tutoring programs can effectively address specific student needs.
Strategic Implementation and Student Engagement
Principal Bailey discovered Saga’s high-impact tutoring program through a colleague and quickly recognized its potential. She engaged her assistant principal and math team to develop a clear vision for how to seamlessly integrate the tutoring into the school day. Key to this process was defining the school’s priority standards and understanding how Saga would address the needs of students who were two to three grade levels behind.
Saga Education’s program was integrated into the school’s core math curriculum, targeting the entire sixth-grade class and a portion of the eighth grade. Saga operated six sixth-grade math tutoring sections, each with 20-30 students. Students received tutoring twice a week in 45-minute sessions.
To tailor instruction, each student underwent an initial assessment to identify their specific grade levels and areas of need. Students were then arranged into small groups of three and paired with an online tutor. Notably, Saga was programmed as a regular class within the students’ schedules. Saga also had its own dedicated classroom space, complete with specific rules and expectations, ensuring a structured and focused learning environment.
Asia Johnson, senior director of programs at Saga Education in New York City, said that Principal Bailey demonstrated high engagement and responsiveness in initial planning meetings for the partnership. She actively sought to understand the offerings and openly shared her school’s needs.
Johnson said that when school leaders do their research and proactively engage with nonprofits as Principal Bailey did with Saga, the result is a co-designed program that effectively addresses students’ and the school community’s needs.
Quantifiable Progress and Increased Confidence
The strategic integration of high-impact tutoring yielded impressive, measurable results.
- In 2024, 47.5% of sixth-grade students were proficient in math. By the end of the 2024-25 school year, with a year of Saga tutoring, that figure rose to 60.3%.
- In 2024, 24.4% of eighth-grade students were proficient in math. By the end of the 2024-25 school year, with a year of Saga tutoring, that figure rose to an astounding 59.7% math proficiency.
Beyond the numbers, Principal Bailey observed a significant boost in student confidence. “When students sit in a classroom and they don’t know what’s happening, they don’t understand, they are hesitant,” she noted. “With the support of Saga, students receive academic support in their areas of deficit, which allowed my teachers to really focus more on grade-level content and particularly our standards. What we saw was a more confident student in the classroom.”
Students began to think about numbers differently, engaging in mathematical discourse and explaining concepts to their peers, providing reasons for their solutions. The online tutoring format also prepared students for computer-based testing, increasing their comfort with navigating digital tools, which is crucial for the New York State math exam.
An Integrated Partnership
Principal Bailey emphasized the importance of integrating partners fully into the school community. Saga staff participated in common planning meetings and data chats with teachers, attended school events, and became an integral part of the school, she added.
The outcomes at I.S. 303 underscore Saga’s core belief that close collaboration between dedicated schools and effective high-impact tutoring programs, coupled with unwavering consistency in delivery and dosage, is the blueprint for driving significant student success.