By: Haley Hall
We know FAST scores can be confusing. We can help!
This is usually one of the times throughout the year when parents receive their child’s FAST scores from schools. These scores can be confusing for parents to understand, and it can be difficult to know what to do with the information you’re given. Here’s some information about FAST assessments and what your child’s score could mean.
What is The FAST Assessment?
The FAST assessment is a “Formative Assessment System for Teachers.” The system of assessments is created by FastBridge Learning and is used for screening, progress monitoring, and data reporting for reading, math, behavior, and early development. All of the FAST assessments include computer-based components – meaning students may complete activities directly on a computer, and teachers may also use online forms to score and enter student responses as they complete the assessment.
FAST earlyReading Assessment
The FAST earlyReading assessment is given individually to students in grades K-1. The proctor marks student responses electronically as the student completes the assessment. Below you can find the subtests measured as well as the expected benchmark scores identified for fall, winter, and spring
FAST aReading Assessment
The FAST aReading assessment is given to students in grades K-8 and measures concepts of print, phonemic awareness, phonetic awareness, vocabulary, and comprehension. This assessment is administered on a computer and includes 30 questions. The expected benchmark scores for this assessment are reported in the table below.
FAST CBMreading Assessment
The FAST CBMreading assessment is given to students in grades 1-8. A teacher listens to a student read aloud for 1 minute while recording student errors. This assessment measures rate and accuracy. See the table below for the expected benchmark scores for this assessment.
FAST earlyMath Assessment
The earlyMath assessment is administered to students in grades K-1. This assessment is administered individually to students. The proctor marks student responses electronically as the student completes the assessment. Below you can see the subtests and concepts measured in this assessment, as well as the expected benchmark scores for fall, winter, and spring.
FAST aMath Assessment
The FAST aMath assessment is given to students in grades K-8 and measures counting and cardinality, operations and algebraic thinking, number and operations, measurement and data, and geometry. This assessment is administered on a computer and includes 30-60 questions. The expected benchmark scores for this assessment are reported in the table below.
FAST CBMmath Assessment
The FAST CBMmath assessment has three measures shown in the tables below. These assessments are given to students in grades 1-8. The expected benchmark scores for this assessment are reported in the table below.
CBMmath automaticity measures a student’s fluency with math facts, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. This is a computer-based assessment, and the benchmark scores for fall, winter, and spring are reported below.
The CBMmath process measures the process that a student uses to complete multi-step math problems. This test is administered on paper and then is scored online by the teacher. Expected benchmark scores for fall, winter, and spring are reported below.
CBMmath Concepts and Applications (CAP) is a broad measure of a student’s overall math skill, and it evaluates a student’s skills in solving complex and multi-step math problems. Skills on the assessment range from computation and fact fluency to multi-step algebra problems. This is a computerized assessment, and the student completes as many problems as possible within the allotted time. The expected benchmark scores for this assessment are reported in the table below.
What Do My Student’s Scores Mean?
Now that you know the tests given and the benchmark scores, you may still be wondering what your child’s scores mean. When you are given your child’s scores, you should also be given a score description:
On Track
A student listed as on track has skills that meet or exceed the grade-level expectation. If your child scores significantly above the benchmark, you may want to talk with the teacher about ways he/she is challenged in the classroom and how the teacher is able to provide appropriate activities for your child so that he/she continues to build his/her skills.
Some Risk
A student listed as some risk may need additional support to improve the skill and is at some risk of falling behind their peers. This is a critical time to make sure your child receives individualized instruction. Often, these students don’t qualify for extra support services at school, yet they may not improve their skills to grade level with general classroom instruction. We would recommend looking into support outside of school.
High Risk
A student listed as high risk will need additional support to improve the skill and is at a high risk of falling behind their peers. Children in this category may be receiving additional support services at school. Oftentimes children need even more support and would benefit from support outside of school multiple times per week.
How Enrichment Therapy and Learning Center Can Help
Here at ETLC, we want to know your child’s FAST scores, and we can help you interpret what they mean and how they relate to your child’s individual sessions. Here are a few things to keep in mind when thinking through your child’s scores:
- These scores are from one point in time. Was your child having an off day? Was the test administered right before lunch when your child was hungry? Did your child get a good night’s rest the night before the assessment? These are all factors that can influence your child’s score.
- These are often computerized assessments that require a child to think through a problem, ask for/use scratch paper if needed, come up with a solution, find the solution on the screen, and select the solution they intend to select. There are so many things here that could go wrong.
- The tests given are assessing grade-level material. If your child is in second grade, they are administered questions pertaining to second-grade-level material. It’s possible that your child is not performing at this level, but they are still expected to respond to questions at their given grade level.
Did your child score below where you expected? You may want to consider an evaluation by one of our learning specialists or speech-language pathologists. We can help you understand the specifics of your child’s strengths and weaknesses. If your child is not performing at grade level, we can help your child build their skills and find success. Can you imagine how great it would feel for your child (and you!) to see FAST scores at or above the benchmark? Let’s make it happen!
info@enrichmenttherapies.com
740 Community Drive, Unit A
North Liberty, IA 52317
319-626-2553
infodm@enrichmenttherapies.com
5530 West Pkwy, Suite 300
Johnston, IA 50131
515-419-4270
Sources:
FastBridge website: https://www.illuminateed.com/products/fastbridge/
Score charts: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EcvabUxT8Rm5UCjlsI4ze9CKa7bQLk8B/view
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