Overview

CORE CCL

Fund for Teachers

Principal for A Day

FAST-R LINKS

• FAST-R FAQs
• Levels and Types of Thinking Assessed on FAST-R
• Sample FAST-R Materials
• Professional Development Goals
• FAST-R Glossary
• FAST-R & MCAS Workshop Handouts
• FAST-R Newsletter

FAST-R in the News

FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading

FAST-R, BPE's Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading, are short, low-stakes assessments that provide information on students’ strengths and weaknesses in two English/Language Arts (ELA) areas: finding evidence and making inferences.

FAST-R is based on the belief that having timely, nuanced, user-friendly data about students’ reading and thinking skills is necessary— but not sufficient—to improve student achievement: In other words, it’s not the data itself, but what teachers actually do with it, that makes a difference for students’ learning.

To help teachers make the most of FAST-R, BPE provides both tools (including assessments, teacher guides and data reports) and professional development (in the form of instructional data coaches).

Use the links to the left to:

• Read answers to Frequently Asked Questions about FAST-R
• Learn about the levels and types of thinking assessed on FAST-R
• View sample FAST-R materials (assessment, teacher guide, and data reports)
• See our goals for what teachers will learn and be able to do as a result of using FAST-R
• Read independent evaluations of FAST-R

An independent firm, Education Matters, has conducted three  qualitative evaluations to date of FAST-R and its use in Boston's schools.

Click here to read "Formative Assessment Pilot Implementation:
Final Report" (August 2004).

Click here to read "FAST-R Year II Evaluation" (August 2005).

Click here to read "An Evaluation of the Use of FAST-R
in the Boston Public Schools" (August 2006).