State Assessments

Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) Assessments

In March 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis signed new legislation that replaces the grade-level Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics with the Coordinated Screening and Progress Monitoring System, also called the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) required in section 1008.25(8), Florida Statutes.

Grades 3-10 FAST Overview

  • Grades 3-10 FAST ELA Reading and Grades 3-8 FAST Mathematics assessments are aligned to the Benchmarks for Excelling Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards.

  • Because all FAST assessments are computer-adaptive, items may become progressively harder as students successfully respond to items and easier if students answer more questions incorrectly.

  • FAST assessments are administered three times during each school year: once at the beginning of the year (PM1), once in the middle of the year (PM2), and once at the end of the year (PM3).

  • Each Progress Monitor (PM) event is tied to a test design summary and blueprint for the full grade-level content. The ELA and Mathematics blueprints show how many items in each reporting category students will encounter during each PM window.

  • Here are descriptions of each PM opportunity for students:

    • PM1 - because this administration occurs at the very beginning of the school year, it is designed to provide a baseline score so teachers can track student progress in learning the B.E.S.T. Standards from PM1 to PM2.

    • PM2 - by the time of this administration window, students will have had an opportunity to learn the grade-level standards and this administration will provide an interim score to compare to the baseline score from PM1.

    • PM3 - this last administration will provide a summative score that will accurately measure student mastery of the B.E.S.T. Standards at the end of the school year. While PM1 and PM2 are for informational purposes only, PM3 will be used for school accountability beginning in the 2023-24 school year.

  • Understanding FAST Grades 3-10 ELA-Reading, G3-8 Mathematics, & BEST Algebra 1 & Geometry EOC Reports for Families (November 2023)  provides an introduction about FAST assessments; explanations of the different sections of the Individual Student Report (ISR); Achievement Levels; and Reporting Categories.

Website by SchoolMessenger Presence. © 2024 SchoolMessenger Corporation. All rights reserved.