Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading (FAST-R)

What do teachers need to accelerate the learning of every student? Good data. FAST-R was created in response to requests from BPS teachers and administrators for fast, easy-to-use data that they could use to inform classroom practice and measure student progress over time. FAST-R mini-assessments of reading comprehension help teachers to understand the thinking students do while they read — and where students need help to get to the next level. Armed with FAST-R data, Boston teachers are discussing their practice with colleagues and revising their lessons to maximize growth over a single school year.

How it works

BPE created a suite of over 55 assessments that measure students’ strengths and weaknesses with finding evidence and making inferences, the two reading comprehension skills that cross all subject areas and grade levels and that are essential for understanding any text. FAST-R’s popularity with teachers led to the development of similarly designed anchor assessments and mid-year assessments for use across the middle and high schools. By examining current data on their students and sharing ideas with their colleagues, teachers are better able to target their lessons and the type of feedback they provided to individual students.

Teachers working in AI² (Accelerating Improvement through Inquiry) schools use FAST-R assessments as a part of ongoing cycles of inquiry that help them target the specific learning needs of students who are struggling or off track for promotion and graduation. Beyond AI², many Boston schools use FAST-R on their own, and the approach has been emulated in other cities. FAST-R assessments and accompanying teacher guides are available to the public through this website.

Why it matters

FAST-R focuses teachers’ efforts where it matters: on the reading comprehension skills students are developing right now. It empowers teachers to get to the root of the toughest teaching challenges by asking questions about how students are thinking and about how they can adjust their teaching to address individual students’ needs. FAST-R fosters powerful conversations about classroom practice among teachers — the type of conversations that build a strong professional culture. In just a few years, FAST-R has helped change how data are used in the Boston Public Schools.

Contact: Sheri Kivekas