What is Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) Star Early Literacy testing?
The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking Star Early Literacy Test, commonly referred to as FAST or Florida Early Literacy Test, is an assessment implemented in all Florida VPK (Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten) programs to assess student achievement and performance in early literacy and numeric skills. By identifying students who may need extra support and providing targeted interventions, the test can help ensure that students have the foundation they need to become successful readers. This is especially important for those children that are lacking foundational skills and literacy experience as they enter school.
The Florida Early Literacy Test is aligned with state standards. The questions are multiple-choice, online, and adaptive. During the school year, the test may be given as often as weekly to monitor a child’s progress, but most often, it is administered in the fall, winter, and spring.
Some schools use the FAST Test to identify students for gifted programs.
Some quick facts about the Florida Early Literacy Test
| How long does the test take? | The test takes 15-20 minutes to administer. |
| How is the test given? | The test is taken on an individual computer, Chromebook, iPad, or tablet that is at least 7’’. |
| How are the questions structured? | All questions are multiple-choice, with 3-4 answer choices per question. |
| How are test results given? | The score is calculated at the end of the test and given to the student’s teacher. The student is given a scaled score, skill set score, national norm score for grade equivalent, and a percentile rank score. |
The Florida Star Early Literacy test is given to younger students. It is used for students in Pre-K to 3rd Grade. Younger students start with this test and their score indicates one of four reading levels:
- Early Emergent Reader
- Late Reader
- Transitional Reader
- Probable Reader
The following skills are assessed at the Early Literacy Level:
Foundational Skills
- General Readiness (Pre-K to K)
- Graphophonemic Knowledge (Pre-K to 1st Grade)
- Phonemic Awareness (Pre-K to 1st Grade)
- Phonics (K to 3rd Grade)
- Structural Analysis (1st to 3rd Grade)
- Vocabulary (K to 3rd Grade)
Comprehension and Meaning
- Sentence – Level Comprehension (1st to 3rd Grade)
- Paragraph – Level Comprehension (1st to 3rd Grade)
Numbers and Operations
- Early Numeracy (Pre-K to 3rd Grade)
How is the FAST Star Early Literacy Test scored?
The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking Test yields a Scaled Score. This is based on the difficulty of the questions and the number of correct answers. Scaled scores help you compare your child’s performance over time and across grade levels. The scaled score ranges from 300 – 900 and spans grades Pre-K – 3rd Grade.
The report also generates a Skill Set Score for each domain and skill that ranges from 0 – 100. A Skill Set Score of 75 for “Differentiating Letters” means that your child is doing well recognizing letters in words. A Skill Set Score of 12 in “Reading and Understanding Paragraphs” means that there is more work to be done to help your child improve their reading comprehension skills for passages.
Your child will also receive a National Norm Score for Grade Equivalent, which tells you how your child’s score compares with other students nationally. A Nationally Normed Score of 2.2 means the child reads at a level equal to that of a typical 2nd grader in the 2nd month of school.
The Percentile Rank Score that your child receives compares them to other students in the same grade across the country. With a Percentile Rank Score of 35, that means your child is reading at a level greater than 35% of other students nationally in the same grade.