FAST Assessments: How Lee County students tested

Tiffany Knight, Fort Myers News-Press
·4 min read
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Florida's FAST scores have been released, and there are a few clouds hanging over Lee County' s part of the Sunshine State.

Lee County students have improved since the first FAST exam given in the 2022-23 school year. Students tested in ELA, mathematics, science, and state EOCS, making it a notable achievement. Although they improved from the year prior, Lee schools did not perform as well as their counterparts throughout the state.

"We continue to thoroughly analyze the preliminary results. While we see some successes there are also opportunities for growth. We are committed to the work of constantly helping our students improve and look forward to the start of the school year..." said Rob Spicker, the assistant director of media relations for Lee Schools.

The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) was implemented for Florida schools during the 2022-2023 school year. The assessment replaced the FSA exams that were used for many years prior.

Lee County's student scores have been published, detailing the mathematics and reading performance from grades Pre-K through 10th.

What are the FAST math scores for Lee County vs. the state?

Below are the average math scores statewide and Lee County final scores for mathematics. These scores include grades 3-8 who tested the end of the 2023-24 school year. The percentages represent the rate of students who tested at or above grade level. Lee County had lower test scores compared to the state at almost every grade level.

∎ Third grade: State, 60%, Lee County, 56%

∎ Seventh grade: State, 47%, Lee County, 32%

More: How did Lee schools perform in this year's state assessment? What we know

What are the FAST language arts scores for Lee County vs. the state?

Below are the average statewide and Lee County final scores for English and language arts. These scores include grades 3-10 who tested at the end of the 2023-24 school year. The percentages represent the rate of students who tested at or above grade level. Lee County had lower test scores than the state at every grade level.

∎Third grade: State, 55%, Lee County, 48%

∎Seventh grade: State, 50%, Lee County, 46%

∎10th grade: State, 53%, Lee County, 47%

The progress assessment is given to students three times a year. The first test is administered at the beginning of the year. The second test is given in the middle of the school year and the third occurs at the end of the school year.

"Florida was the first state in the nation to establish a system under progress monitoring. Unlike end of year high stakes testing, FAST provides teachers, students and parents real-time, immediate and actionable data at the beginning, middle and end of the school year to drive student improvement," according to the FLDOE 2023 Press Release.

Often referred to as “high-stakes exams," third-graders need passing FAST reading scores to move to fourth grade and 10th-grade students need passing reading scores to graduate.

Districts may allow third-grade students to submit alternative assessments for "good cause promotion." This permits students to take pre-approved assessments that prove reading comprehension. Once a student has passed the exam they will move onto the fourth grade, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Tenth-graders have the choice to take the FSA ELA Retake exam, or the FAST ELA Reading Retake, if they still need to meet graduation requirements. Students can participate in retakes until they reach a passing score to graduate. As of math graduation requirements, students are required to pass the Algebra 1 EOC. If a student does not meet these requirements by the end of their senior year, they will not graduate by their planned date.

How do the FAST assessments check student progress?

The FAST assessments allow teachers and administrators to gain information on student progress throughout the school year.

The first and second administrations (PM1 and PM2) are for informational purposes, providing teachers and families information to help guide instruction and support based on a student's strengths and weaknesses. The third administration (PM3) for grades 3 through 10, which occurs at the end of the school year, is the statewide, standardized assessment in ELA and mathematics administered for state and federal accountability, according to the Florida Department of Education.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: FAST Assessments: How Lee County students tested