Florida has switched to a new testing system called FAST (Florida Assessment of Student Thinking) Progress Monitoring. Under the new system, most students will be tested three times each school year in reading (PreK--10^th grade) and math (PreK--8^th grade).

The second FAST testing window runs from Monday, December 5 through January 27. Testing dates and times will vary from school to school. Your school will notify you when the tests will be given in your school.

This FAST assessment will be given entirely on computer.

Scores will be available within two weeks of your child’s test. Parents of children in grades 3-10 will be able to view their child’s results through the Skyward Family Access system. Instructions are available here in English.  Seleccione aquí para ver instrucciones en español.  If you don’t have a Skyward Family Access account, you can visit www.sbac.edu/familyaccess.

Families of students in grades PreK-2 will receive paper copies of their child’s results from their school.

The Florida Department of Education has created a Family Guide to help parents understand FAST reports.

Will students still take EOCs (End-of-Course Exams)?

• Yes. Students enrolled in Algebra 1, Geometry, Civics, Biology 1, & US History will still sit for an End-of-Course (EOC) exam in May. These subjects are not part of FAST Progress Monitoring.

When do students take the FAST Progress Monitoring assessments?

• There are three progress monitoring windows, called PM1, PM2, and PM3. Please scroll up to see the FAST testing windows.

Will there be paper-based options for students to participate in FAST Progress Monitoring?

• For the first two progress monitoring assessments (PM1 & PM2), paper-based accommodations will NOT be offered. The Florida Department of Education has indicated that paper-based accommodations will be available for PM3.

Will there be a writing assessment given, like the FSA Writing?

• Yes, but only select schools will be chosen to participate in BEST ELA Writing this year. The state considers this to be a 'field test.' Schools selected for participation in the BEST Writing Field Test should know by October.

How is FAST Progress Monitoring different from previous FSA testing?

• FAST Progress Monitoring is now all computer-based, including for students in VPK through second grade. Previous FSA testing was paper-based for grades 3-6 and was not administered to grades VPK-2. Testing is also now computer-adaptive, meaning students will be given different levels of questions depending on whether the previous question was answered correctly or incorrectly.

How will I find results for my student?

• Student results will be reported in the Florida Family Portal starting in mid-October.

How long is each FAST Assessment?

For PM1 & PM2, the length of each test is as follows:

• VPK-2: Up to 20-30 minutes per assessment
• Grades 3-10 ELA: Up to 90 minutes
• Grades 3-5 Math: Up to 80 minutes
• Grades 6-8 Math: Up to 100 minutes