Florida Completes First Year of First-in-Nation Progress Monitoring Assessments

June 29, 2023

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Florida Completes First Year of First-in-Nation Progress Monitoring Assessments

~ Results show substantial student growth and student subgroup improvements over the year ~

Tallahassee, Fla., June 29, 2023 – Today, Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. announced the results of the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST). The results of Florida’s end of the year progress monitoring assessment shows students made substantial growth throughout the school year, including up to 42 percentage points in some subjects. Additionally, results demonstrated significant improvements throughout the year in student subgroups, with Hispanic, African American and students from economically disadvantaged families all showing double digit increases in the percentage of students scoring at or above grade level.

Florida was the first state in the nation to establish a system under progress monitoring. Unlike end of year high stakes testing, FAST provides teachers, students and parents real-time, immediate and actionable data at the beginning, middle and end of the school year to drive student improvement.

“The significant gains made by our students this school year prove that progress monitoring is a success,” said Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. “Florida’s teachers were provided immediate feedback following each FAST administration and used that feedback to guide future instruction. I look forward to working with educators to build on these results as we establish a true annual comparison beginning next year.”

“Progress monitoring has made a meaningful difference in our school district,” said Miami-Dade Superintendent Jose Dotres. “Teachers were able to make adjustments to instruction throughout the year, based on student progress, driving positive outcomes. This new assessment approach will benefit students for generations to come.”

“As I traveled the state this year, I heard teachers speak of the positive impact the FAST progress monitoring has made on their students’ success and instruction,” said 2023 Florida Teacher of the Year Melissa Matz. “They contribute their success to the immediate feedback they receive which they used to improve their instruction and provide remediation where it was needed. Teachers and parents have been able to build better communication about student achievement due to the quick, accessible data. FAST progress monitoring is an innovative way to reach the levels of success our students deserve, and it will continue to bring success to Florida teachers and students.”

The scores demonstrate significant student growth throughout the year and Florida’s education system will continue to build upon this progress in years to come.

Student Subgroup Success:

• African American students increased performance throughout the year by:
  • 34 percentage points in Grades 3-8 Mathematics
  • 16 percentage points in Grades 3-10 ELA
  • 5 percentage points in Grade 5 Science and 3 percentage points in Biology 1
• Hispanic students increased performance throughout the year by:
  • 42 percentage points in Grades 3-8 Mathematics
  • 17 percentage points in Grades 3-10 ELA
  • 2 percentage points in Grade 5 Science and 3 percentage points in Biology 1
• Students from economically disadvantaged families increased performance throughout the year by:
  • 39 percentage points in Grades 3-8 Mathematics
  • 16 percentage points in Grades 3-10 ELA
  • 4 percentage points in Grade 5 Science and 3 percentage points in Biology 1

Takeaways from FAST Grades 3-10 English Language Arts (ELA)* and Mathematics: *

• Grades 3-10 English language arts performance results increased significantly throughout the school year
• Grades 3-8 Mathematics results demonstrated a tripling of the number of students performing on grade level throughout the year.

In addition to FAST, the Department released results for the Science assessment and the Biology 1, Civics and U.S. History statewide assessments.

Takeaways from the 2023 Statewide Social Studies Assessments:

• The Civics statewide assessment has the highest percentage of students performing at or above Level 3, and the U.S. History statewide assessment continues to be among the highest performing of all the statewide assessments.
• On the Civics statewide assessment, approximately two thirds of students scored at or above Level 3.
• On the U.S. History statewide assessment, 62% of students scored at or above Level 3.

Takeaways from the 2023 Statewide Science Assessments:

• 5^th Grade Science performance increased 3 percentage points from 2022.
• Biology 1 statewide assessment performance increased 3 percentage points from 2022.

Beginning in Spring 2024, the Biology 1, Civics and U.S. History statewide assessments, as well as the Grade 5 and Grade 8 Science assessments, will be delivered in a computer-based format to allow for real-time and immediate scoring.

To view the statewide and district-level results, visit: https://www.fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/k-12-student-assessment/results/2023.stml

*Please note, the results for grades 3-10 ELA FAST, 3-8 Mathematics FAST, and the B.E.S.T.-aligned Algebra 1 and Geometry statewide assessments are based on provisional achievement level cuts that are linked to the Florida Standards Assessment scale. Therefore, comparisons should not be made between the 2023 data and previous years’ data.

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