Roadrunner Students and Parents,
I wanted to let you know that on Thursday, September 30, all students in grades 9-11 will be taking FAST Assessments (Formative Assessment System for Teachers). FAST’s Universal Screening tests are given to every kindergarten through 11th grade student at I-35 three times a year to identify students who are on grade level in reading and math, and those students who may need additional support.
On Thursday, students in grades 9-11 will be testing in their advisory classes from 8:15-9:42 and then will proceed with the rest of their classes (although each period will be slightly shortened). Seniors will need to report to school for the beginning of 2nd period at 9:45am, as they will not be taking the FAST tests. Seniors who are transported to school by bus will have access to areas in the building for studying/gathering if they arrive before 9:45am.
All 9th through 11th grade high school students will be assessed on their math skills using the FAST aMath. The aMath is a simple and efficient procedure for screening students' broad math abilities. The assessment is based on expert recommendations and each question is aligned with the National Common Core State Standards. aMath is a computer-adaptive test and students respond to between 30 and 60 questions on each testing occasion.
In addition to the aMath assessment, students will also take the aReading assessment. The aReading assessment assesses students in the areas of the English writing system; informational reading, which includes skills related to understanding and responding to content area texts (i.e., non-fiction); language, which includes skills related to listening and speaking in English; and reading literature, which includes skills related to understanding and responding to literary texts (i.e., fiction).
Any Interstate 35 student that scores below the benchmark score will be given further diagnostic evaluation to determine if additional support is needed. We will provide additional support through a variety of services including Reading Intervention or classroom interventions as appropriate. Your student's teacher will continue to communicate with you throughout the process. Please reach out if you have any questions.
Thank You and Take Care,
Heather Dutrey