• Students in grades 6-8 will participate in the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) in reading and math, three times per year. The first progress monitoring window (PM1) will occur within the first 30 days of school, the second (PM2) will occur in the middle of the school year, and the third (PM3) will occur at the end of the school year.  

• Specific dates and further testing information will be provided by your child's teacher and/or Mrs. Gee, the Brevard Virtual School testing coordinator. 

• FAST assessments may be completed remotely or on campus at the Clearlake Education Center in Cocoa for windows PM1 or PM2. 

• All FAST assessments for PM3 are required to be completed in person at the Clearlake Education Center in Cocoa or the student's area zoned school. 

• If students need additional time to work beyond the standard test time, students may continue working up to the end of the school day.

• Students enrolled in Middle Grades Civics will take an End-of-Course exam which will count as 30% of the students overall course grade.  Failure to take the End-of-Course exam will result in a 0 grade being factored in as 30% of the student's overall course grade for Civics.

Please review the following state testing 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, 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, his or her test will be invalidated.

  
  

• Calculators—The student will use the online calculator provided on the testing platform for the duration of the Math or Science tests.

  
  

• 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.

  
  

• Discussing Test Content after Testing—The last portion of the testing rules read to students before they sign below the Testing Rules Acknowledgment states: “Because the content of all statewide assessments is secure, you may not discuss or reveal details about the test content (including test items, passages, and prompts) after the test. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as texting, emailing, or posting online, for example, on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram.” Please make sure your student understands 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. In addition, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) employs Caveon Test Security to analyze student test results to detect unusually similar answer patterns. Student tests within a school that are found to have remarkably similar answer patterns will be invalidated.

• Leaving Campus—If testing on campus and your student leaves campus before completing a test session (e.g., for lunch, an appointment, illness), he or she will not be allowed to return to that test session. 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.

For more information about the FAST and other Florida assessments, please visit the portal at FLFAST.org. 

• Florida Statewide Assessments Sample Items

• Practice Online Calculator for Grade 6 and Grade 8 Science

• Practice Online Calculator for Grade 7 & 8 Math