Skip To Main Content

Assessments

Florida Statutes as well as Flagler Schools policy require that certain tests be administered to specific students each year. In general, all are mandated by statutes or administrative rules passed by the Florida Legislature or the Florida Board of Education. For more information, the comprehensive listings and descriptions found in the Uniform Assessment Calendar may be useful. 

 

Thank you for supporting your student and encouraging him or her to do his or her best during this test administration.

FAST Progress Monitoring

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 for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards throughout this school year. The purpose of this letter is to inform you that your student will participate in the third administration (PM3) of the Grade 6/7/8 Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) Reading and Mathematics assessments, the B.E.S.T. Writing Assessment, and possibly even Grade 8 Statewide Science Assessment or the B.E.S.T. Civics, Algebra, or Geometry End-of-Course (EOC) exams April 1-3 and May 1-14. The results from the tests will show how well your student has mastered the grade level content standards, and your school will provide information about how to access the results.

Your student’s FAST and B.E.S.T. assessments are computer-adaptive tests taken on a computer or tablet. It is extremely important that the students come to school with their iPads fully charged! The questions get less or more difficult depending on how a student responds, and each student will see different questions from a common item bank. Each test attempt (PM1, PM2, and PM3) will present items that 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 interact with the online testing platform or review test sample items at home, sample test items and released tests at certain grades/subjects are available at https://flfast.org/families.html.

For more information about the FAST program, please visit the portal at https://flfast.org/fsa.html.

 

Statewide Science Assessment

The Statewide Science Assessment measures Grades 8 student achievement of Florida’s State Academic Standards in Science. The assessment consists of two 80-minute paper-based test sessions administered in one day. 

Testing Policies

 

Please review the following test policies with your student before testing:

▪       Electronic Devices—Students are not permitted to have any electronic devices, including, but not limited to, cell phones, smartphones, 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. 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.

▪       Testing Rules Acknowledgment—All tests include a Testing Rules Acknowledgment 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 acknowledge that they understand the testing rules by clicking the box in the secure browser indicating they understand the testing rules.

▪       Discussing Test Content after Testing—The last portion of the testing rules read to students before they click the box to accept the Testing Rules Acknowledgment states that because the content of all statewide assessments is secure, students may not discuss or reveal details about the test content (including test items and passages) after the test. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as texting, emailing, or posting to social media sites. Please make sure your student understands this policy prior to testing and remind them that “discussing” test content includes any kind of electronic communication, such as texting, emailing, posting to social media, or sharing online. While students may not share information about secure test content after testing, this policy is not intended to prevent students from discussing 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.

▪       Leaving Campus—If your student leaves campus before completing a test (e.g., for lunch, an appointment), he or she will not be allowed to return to that test. 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—If your student has an Individual Education Plan (IEP), a Section 504 Plan, or is an English Language Learner (ELL) or a recently exited ELL, please contact the school to discuss the testing accommodations that will be provided for your student.  

▪       Testing Irregularities—In the event a testing irregularity occurs in your student’s testing room, as part of a school investigation, your student may be asked questions to provide clarification of the incident. In addition, your student may be required to retake the assessment if a suspected irregularity is reported that may affect the validity of the test results.

Contact Information

This assessment page provides important testing policies and information for families to review prior to student testing. If you have any questions related to test administration, please contact Danielle Carlson, Assistant Principal, at 386-446-6700, extension 4509.

FAST Resources

FAQs