Dear Parent/Guardian, 

The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) is a progress monitoring system that is administered three times per year to track your student’s progress in learning the Benchmarks of Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards. The purpose of this letter is to inform you that your student will participate in the first administration PM1 of the Grade 6, 7, or 8 Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) ELA Reading and Mathematics assessments on two of the dates between 9SEP – 16SEP. Any student who has not completed the session by the end of the allotted time may continue working up to the length of a typical school day. Your student’s results from PM1 are for informational purposes only, and you will be provided with information about how to see the results after testing is completed.

Your student’s FAST assessments will be administered on paper, as an accommodation per his or her Individual Educational Plan (IEP) or Section 504 Plan. This test attempt will present items that will cover the entire test “blueprint,” meaning students will encounter items representative of the standards within the subject or grade level. For more information on the test design, please visit https://www.fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/k-12-student-assessment/best/. If you or your student would like to review FAST ELA Reading and Mathematics sample items at home, sample test materials are available at https://flfast.org/resource-list/en/fast-paper-based-sample-test-materials.

Please review the following policies with your student before testing:

§  Electronic Devices—Students are not allowed to have any electronic devices, including, but not limited to, cell phones, smart glasses, and smartwatches, at any time during testing or during breaks (e.g., restroom), even if the devices are turned off or students do not use them. Students may not wear smart glasses during statewide testing, even if they are prescription glasses. Students with prescription smart glasses will need to remove them or test another day with standard glasses. If your student is found with an electronic device or is found using Bluetooth/wireless headphones/earbuds during testing, his or her test will be invalidated (not scored). 

§  Calculator Policy—(Exclude this bullet for FCLE testing.) (Include these sentences for EOCs testing.) For B.E.S.T. Algebra 1 and Geometry EOC assessments, handheld scientific calculators will be available. For Biology 1 EOC, a handheld four-function calculator will be available. (Include these sentences for Grades 3–10 FAST testing:) For Grades 7–8 FAST Mathematics, approved handheld scientific calculators may be used. For Grade 6 FAST Mathematics, a handheld four-function calculator may be used. Calculators are not allowed for Grades 3–5 Mathematics.

§  Testing Rules Acknowledgment—All tests include a Testing Rules Acknowledgment printed in the student’s test document that reads: “I understand the testing rules that were just read to me. If I do not follow these rules, my test score may be invalidated.” Prior to testing, test administrators read the rules to students, and students sign below the statement in their test documents to show that they understand the testing rules.

§  Discussing Test Content after Testing—The last part of the testing rules read to students states that because the test content is secure, students may not discuss or share details about the test items and passages after testing. This includes texting, emailing, or posting test content to social media sites. While students may not share information about what questions were on their test, this policy is not meant to prevent students from talking about their testing experiences with their parents/families.

§  Working Independently—Students are responsible for doing their own work during the test and for protecting their answers from being seen by others. If students are caught cheating during testing, their tests will be invalidated (not scored). 

§  Illness/Leaving Campus—If your student leaves campus before completing a test session (e.g., for lunch, an appointment), he or she may not be allowed to return to that test session. If your student does not feel well on the day of testing, it may be best for him or her to wait and be tested on a make-up day. Please remember not to schedule appointments on testing days.

§  Testing Accommodations—Please contact the school to discuss any other testing accommodations that will be provided for your student.   

§  Testing Irregularities—If a testing irregularity occurs in your student’s testing room, as part of a school investigation, your student may be asked questions to provide information about the incident. 

§  Extra Time—Any student still working at the end of the allotted time for the session will be provided extra time, as allowed, to complete the test. However, based on directions from the district, students who are not actively working (e.g., sleeping) at the end of regular time may be dismissed rather than being given extra time.   

If you have any questions related to this test administration, you may contact Joey Goodwin at 850-936-6040.