Yet several school districts in Central Florida fail to meet an important benchmark and remain below the state average.

Channel 9 examined the 2024 FAST testing data for Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Volusia and Brevard counties.

A new law in 2022 changed the standards for state testing, making this only the second year that Florida students have taken the FAST tests for a full year.

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Students take the FAST exams three times a year to monitor their annual progress.

Scores are divided into proficiency levels so that students can achieve a level from 1 to 5.

A level 3 is considered “on grade level,” although the state states that students who achieve a 3 “may require additional support for the next grade/course.”

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Across Florida, only 53 percent of students in grades 3 through 10 scored at Level 3 or higher on their FAST ELA exams this school year.

In the graph below, you can see how Central Florida school districts compare to the state.

Meanwhile, across Florida, only 55 percent of students in grades 3 through 8 scored a grade of 3 or higher on the math exams (PM3 and EOCs) this school year.

In the graph below, you can see how Central Florida school districts compare to the state.

Boone High School student Brady Graham took three ELA FAST exams last year. He told Channel 9 he felt the tests were redundant and varied greatly depending on external factors, and he didn't think they accurately reflected his performance.

“It's so different with every test. I remember feeling really sick one time and the results showed I was worse that day,” Graham said.

In addition, Graham told Channel 9 that he believes taking the tests comes at the expense of learning in the classroom.

“We're losing time that we would otherwise spend learning different ways to write, read and analyze tests in a test-free environment,” Graham said.

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Brady's mother, Melissa Graham, was a teacher in Orange County for about a decade. She told Channel 9 that while testing itself can be valuable, she believes teachers know best how to improve student achievement.

“Test scores are important to us as a piece of the puzzle,” Melissa Graham said. “Yes, we have data that comes from a state assessment, but a student is just worth so much. And they are certainly more than just a number.”

At the same time, education officials said it was difficult to draw solid conclusions from data from the relatively new FAST tests.

Damaris Allen of Families for Strong Public Schools agreed that the data does not show the whole picture.

“When the testing system is constantly changing, it’s really difficult to track improvements from year to year,” Allen said.

For more results, visit the Florida Department of Education website.

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