Administrators, teachers offer tips on navigating the world of testing

As the school year resumes, families look ahead at one familiar reality they might not be keen to think about — standardized testing. 

The testing landscape includes several major milestones throughout a student's academic career, with high-stakes exams that begin as early as the third grade. 

However, local principals told the Observer that students are well-equipped to handle these assessments, although they can use some extra support from their parents. 

Here is an overview of the major tests students must complete in the state of Florida, and how families can help students navigate the pressure and help them be prepared. 

Checkpoint exams

McHenry Lerebours, principal of McIntosh Middle, brings 22 years of experience in education, and said the state now features more measures aimed at academic accountability than it did in the past. 

“There are a lot more tests that they have to master and pass, so the pressure has definitely gotten to be a lot more, and the accountability measures are higher. With that, there are more resources available for students," he said. "There are a variety of learning platforms they can choose from — digitally and manually."

Testing begins with students attending VPK, who take the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) Star Early Literacy test. 

However, the first tests that can be considered high-stakes begin with the third grade FAST tests, which cover English language arts and mathematics, and continue through the 10th grade, representing the Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (BEST).

Part of a federal program but specific to Florida, these tests involve three progress-monitoring tests over the course of the year. The first test, PM1, administered at the start of the year, serves as the baseline for measuring students’ progress. It is followed by PM2 and concludes with PM3, the test that determines the school's grade.

Third grade reading scores remain a critical milestone in the district. 

Of all elementary school assessments, third grade English language arts carries the most significant consequences. Under Florida law, students who are not able to read at grade level could be retained in third grade, unless they quality for specific exemptions or show sufficient progress through remediation efforts.

As students move into middle school, the standardized testing landscape expands to include Statewide Science Assessments in grades 5 and 8. While these tests provide an overview of the students' grasp of scientific concepts, passing is not necessary to advance to the next grade. 

Middle schoolers also face the Civics End-of-Course (EOC) Assessment, which can be taken from grades 6 through 8 and constitutes 30% of the final course grade while allowing for retakes. 

To receive a high school diploma, students need to earn 24 course credits, including credits for specific required courses. However, there are two subjects for which passing the end-of-course (EOC) exam is required for graduation.

These are the statewide FAST English language arts exam, and the Algebra 1 EOC, which accounts for 30% of that course grade. Both are typically taken in the 10th grade.

These tests can be reattempted throughout high school. Higher-level courses like Algebra 1 can also be taken during middle school for high school credit.

There are other avenues as well, as students can receive a score on another test like the SAT or ACT, known as a concordant score for ELA or a comparative score for Algebra 1, that can be counted as a passing score for the test. 

Students have been taking the ELA test every year since the third grade, notes Dorlinda Carlson, assistant principal of curriculum and academics at Lakewood Ranch High School. 

"When they get to 10th grade, they'll know what it is that they need to do to pass the test, and they'll be proficient," she said. "At Lakewood, I have to say, the vast majority of the time, they are proficient. We have other schools in the county where that is not the case."

Carlson says for students looking to attend university, high school testing stands alongside college entrance exams in its importance. 

"I don't think the FAST score is going to get you into the college of your choice, but a PSAT score won't do it all either," she said. "It's got to be the combination of the courses that you took."

Testing tips

As kids navigate the landscape, what can parents do to support them? 

Patti Folino, principal of Tuttle Elementary, said the school sees a correlation between support outside of school student success, while she notes that the school also has its own built-in supports including after-hours offerings and intervention time. 

Geri Chaffee, co-founder of Dreamers Academy, a dual-language charter school, finds that when students are younger, more parental involvement takes place, but as they move into middle school, parental engagement drops. 

“I don't know that parents should necessarily understand the intricacies of how it works, but I do think that parents should understand that they have a huge role to play in how their kids do at school, and whether they're happy at school,” she said. 

Lerebours said parents should make sure they are involved with their child's school, participating in events or attending awards ceremonies and sporting events, as well as communicating with teachers.

He also said one of the easiest ways to prevent the "summer slide," the loss of learning during the summer, is by reading to kids, and suggests doing so for at least 20 minutes per day. 

“Because they have lost some instructional time over the summer, they forget a lot of the skills that they've learned in the previous year," he said.

Chaffee said if parents suspect something is affecting their child’s ability to focus, such as a learning disability, the district offer support, which could be extra instruction time or a separate room, so people must be aware of what those systems are. 

“Both of my kids got extra time, and that was huge,” she said. “I think that could make a big difference."

Folino said nothing can match a board game night.

“You're learning social skills like how to take turns, how to lose, you’re adding and subtracting, you’re problem solving, thinking ahead — most of the strategic games that are out there,” she said.

However, the educators said students are ultimately prepared to face the tests on their own. 

“They're aware of exactly what is being tested, why it's being tested,” Chaffee said. “They know their own scores. They know what's going on and a lot of times, they even know that they need to get a higher score, and why it's important. So, I wouldn't say that the parents need to be like, ‘You need to do well on this test,’ or whatever.’ I think parents should just be positive and encourage them. These tests are just a metric. It's just so that we know where you are and how to help you better.”

Carlson says the majority of students will pass tests as long as they keep trying, although she says in certain cases, students become anxious. 

"Every time they take the test, they are almost causing themselves to fail," she said. 

She said she thinks probably the best thing these students can do is work on their coursework and complete the practice test.

"They've got to stay calm, they've got to breathe, they've got to make sure that they're concentrated on what they need to do and that they trust that they have learned, and perform at the highest rate that they can each time they take it," she said.