From Program to Culture: How KIPP Washington Heights Built a Math Mastery Engine

Background

KIPP Washington Heights Middle School had already laid a strong foundation for mastery-based math learning when Fernando Fiorentino joined as a sixth-grade math teacher and later Dean of Students. Classrooms were quiet, focused, and anchored in independent practice on Khan Academy. But what stood out immediately wasn't just usage—it was a powerful culture of ownership. Students celebrated progress publicly, peers recognized achievement, and Khan Academy was embedded in how students talked about learning.

Fernando's work focused on deepening that student ownership, sustaining motivation across grades, and ensuring rigor remained high. Today, Fernando is a District Success Manager at Khan Academy, where he now supports districts across the country in building these same high-impact systems. This case study details the specific, successful moves KIPP Washington Heights made. Critically, much of what Fernando and his colleagues built manually at KIPP—the tracking, goal-setting, and celebration routines—is now built directly into the newly reimagined Khan Academy experience, making it simple for any district to adopt and scale this powerful math culture.

"Khan wasn't just an ed tech program used at the school,  it was part of the math culture built by Silvestre Arcos, WHMS' founding 5th Grade Math teacher and Math department leader"

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Challenges

KIPP Washington Heights had already established a robust mastery/growth-mindset foundation with schoolwide use of Khan Academy. The challenges became:

1. Keep expectations high while supporting students multiple grade levels behind, and
2. Sustain motivation and independence at scale across grades and teachers.

“This is a virtual version of what I did in my classroom,” says Fernando. “With Khan Academy Districts, it’s easier for everyone — and it scales.”

Solutions

1) Cultural Symbols That Made Mastery Visible

Students who reached 85% mastery on grade-level content earned a coveted Ganas shirt, turning academic progress into a badge of excellence. Every student was photographed and added to a Hall of Fame wall, creating a visible lineage of achievement that motivated incoming students.

Years later, older students would return to point out their photo, which reinforced that mastery was something you earned and carried forward.

2) Teacher Alignment and Modeling

Teacher buy-in was non-negotiable. Educators earned their own Ganas shirts only after completing 85% mastery themselves, reinforcing credibility and shared accountability.

Khan Academy goals were embedded into department planning and professional development, with vertical alignment across grades to ensure consistency year over year.

3) Equitable Pathways Without Lowering the Bar

For students far below grade level, the school introduced a fluency-focused pathway to a Ganas shirt. This was particularly powerful in sixth grade, before calculators were introduced in seventh.

Framed as a second chance rather than a remediation track, this pathway re-engaged students who had previously written themselves off, while keeping expectations high for all learners.

4) Motivation Systems, Not One-off Rewards

To prevent overwhelm, large skill goals were broken into monthly targets using a shared spreadsheet system. Students who met their targets earned access to “Math Is Life” parties. The parties were high-energy celebrations featuring pizza, games, and community recognition.

Weekly and all-time leaderboards for skills and minutes were posted in every math classroom, driving transparency, accountability, and collective ownership.

5) Ready to Scale with Khan Academy Districts

Much of what Fernando once built manually — spreadsheets, tracking systems, and gamified routines — is now built directly into Khan Academy, including gems, achievements, and goal tracking.

This reduces teacher lift while preserving healthy extrinsic motivation that ultimately tips students toward intrinsic ownership.

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District Reported Outcomes

• Sustained engagement: ~30 minutes daily during math class, plus 30–45 minutes during intervention; many students also practiced voluntarily at home.
• Broader participation: Students below grade level earned recognition through fluency pathways, while on-level and advanced students stayed challenged with grade-level work.‍
• Cultural durability: Shared norms, recognition, and visibility sustained motivation even through product updates and structural changes.