FAST Scores: What Do They Mean for Your Child?

We know FAST scores can be confusing, and we can help. This is usually one of the times throughout the year when parents receive their child’s FAST scores from school. These scores can be hard to understand, and it can be difficult to know what to do with the information you’re given. Here’s what to know about FAST assessments and what your child’s score could mean.

What Is the FAST Assessment?

The FAST assessment stands for “Formative Assessment System for Teachers.” FastBridge Learning created this system of assessments, which schools use for screening, progress monitoring, and data reporting for reading, math, behavior, and early development. Every FAST assessment includes computer-based components, meaning students complete activities directly on a computer, while teachers use online forms to score and enter student responses.

Types of FAST Reading Assessments

FAST earlyReading Assessment

Proctors give the FAST earlyReading assessment individually to students in grades K-1. As the student completes the assessment, the proctor marks their responses electronically. [Note to editor: insert benchmark score table for fall, winter, and spring here.]

FAST aReading Assessment

Students in grades K-8 take the FAST aReading assessment, which measures concepts of print, phonemic awareness, phonetic awareness, vocabulary, and comprehension. This computer-based assessment includes 30 questions. [Note to editor: insert benchmark score table here.]

FAST CBMreading Assessment

Students in grades 1-8 take the FAST CBMreading assessment. During this test, a teacher listens to a student read aloud for one minute while recording errors, measuring both rate and accuracy. [Note to editor: insert benchmark score table here.]

Types of FAST Math Assessments

FAST earlyMath Assessment

Students in grades K-1 take the earlyMath assessment individually, and the proctor marks their responses electronically as they complete it. [Note to editor: insert subtests, concepts, and benchmark score table here.]

FAST aMath Assessment

Students in grades K-8 take the FAST aMath assessment, which measures counting and cardinality, operations and algebraic thinking, number and operations, measurement and data, and geometry. This computer-based assessment includes 30-60 questions. [Note to editor: insert benchmark score table here.]

FAST CBMmath Assessment

Students in grades 1-8 take the FAST CBMmath assessment, which includes three separate measures:

• CBMmath automaticity measures a student’s fluency with math facts, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. This is a computer-based assessment. [Note to editor: insert fall, winter, and spring benchmark scores here.]
• CBMmath process measures the process a student uses to complete multi-step math problems. Students complete this test on paper, and the teacher scores it online afterward. [Note to editor: insert fall, winter, and spring benchmark scores here.]
• CBMmath Concepts and Applications (CAP) broadly measures a student’s overall math skill, evaluating their ability to solve complex, multi-step problems. Skills range from computation and fact fluency to multi-step algebra. This computerized assessment lets the student complete as many problems as possible within the allotted time. [Note to editor: insert benchmark score table here.]

What Do My Student’s Scores Mean?

Now that you know which tests your child took and what the benchmark scores measure, you may still be wondering what your child’s specific score means. Along with your child’s scores, you should also receive a score description like one of the following:

On Track

A student listed as on track has skills that meet or exceed grade-level expectations. If your child scores significantly above the benchmark, consider talking with the teacher about how they’re being challenged in the classroom, and how the teacher can provide activities that continue building your child’s skills.

Some Risk

A student listed as some risk may need additional support to improve the skill in question and faces some risk of falling behind their peers. This is a critical time to make sure your child gets individualized instruction. Often, these students don’t qualify for extra support services at school, yet they may not catch up to grade level through general classroom instruction alone. Because of this, we’d recommend looking into support outside of school.

High Risk

A student listed as high risk needs additional support to improve the skill and faces a high risk of falling behind their peers. Children in this category may already receive additional support services at school. Often, though, these children need even more support and would benefit from help outside of school multiple times a week.

How Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center Can Help

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 worth keeping in mind as you think through your child’s scores:

• These scores reflect just one point in time. Was your child having an off day? Did they take the test right before lunch, hungry? Did they get a good night’s rest beforehand? All of these factors can influence a score.
• Many of these are computerized assessments that require a child to think through a problem, ask for or use scratch paper if needed, come up with a solution, find it on the screen, and then correctly select it. There’s a lot that can go wrong along the way, even when a child understands the material.
• These tests assess grade-level material. If your child is in second grade, they’ll answer questions tied to second-grade-level content, whether or not they’re performing at that level yet.

Did your child score lower than you expected? Consider an evaluation by one of our learning specialists or speech-language pathologists. We can help you understand your child’s specific strengths and weaknesses, and if they’re not performing at grade level, we can help them build their skills and find success. Imagine how great it would feel, for both of you, to see FAST scores at or above the benchmark. Let’s make it happen.