STAR Testing in Florida: Grades, Windows, and Promotion Rules

STAR testing in Florida is the kindergarten through second grade portion of the state’s Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) system. Renaissance Learning delivers three short computer-adaptive tests to K–2 students three times a year: STAR Early Literacy, STAR Reading, and STAR Math.¹ Voluntary Prekindergarten students also take STAR Early Literacy as part of the same program.² Starting in grade 3, students move to state-built FAST assessments in ELA Reading (through grade 10) and Mathematics (through grade 8).³

Everything sits under the FAST umbrella authorized by Section 1008.25 of the Florida Statutes, which replaced Florida’s older end-of-year testing model with three progress monitoring checks each school year.⁴ The tests are computer-adaptive, so difficulty rises or falls based on how the child answers.⁵

Which Grades Take STAR and Which Take FAST

The STAR name applies only to the youngest students. From grade 3 up, the assessments carry the FAST label and are a different product built for the state.

VPK: STAR Early Literacy
Grades K–2: STAR Early Literacy, STAR Reading, and STAR Math
Grades 3–10: FAST ELA Reading
Grades 3–8: FAST Mathematics

Both sets of tests report against Florida’s B.E.S.T. Standards, and K–2 STAR scores translate onto the same B.E.S.T. scale used in the upper grades through a linked FAST Equivalent Score.⁶

When Testing Happens and How Long It Takes

FAST assessments run in three windows each year, called PM1, PM2, and PM3. For 2025–26 the windows are:⁷

PM1: August 4–September 26, 2025 for K–2; August 11–September 26, 2025 for grades 3–10
PM2: December 1, 2025–January 23, 2026 for all grades
PM3: April 13–May 29, 2026 for K–2; May 1–29, 2026 for grades 3–10

Districts pick the exact days within those windows, so the calendar varies by school.

The K–2 STAR tests are short. STAR Early Literacy runs roughly 10 to 20 minutes, STAR Reading about 15 to 20 minutes, and STAR Math about 20 to 30 minutes.¹ The grades 3–10 sessions are much longer, from 80 minutes for a PM1 or PM2 math test in grades 3–5 up to 120 minutes for a PM3 ELA Reading test.³ Each subject is given in one session on one day, and the state recommends only one subject per day.

Reading a K–2 STAR Score Report

STAR reports carry several score types, and they answer different questions.

The Scaled Score is a single number on a unified scale from 0 to roughly 1,400. Higher is always better, and because the scale spans grades, you can watch it climb as your child moves through K–2.⁸

The Percentile Rank compares your child to same-grade students nationally on a 1 to 99 scale. A percentile rank of 72 means the child scored higher than 72 percent of peers in that grade.

The Student Growth Percentile, also 1 to 99, compares your child’s progress to other students who started at a similar level. It is possible for a child to sit at a modest percentile rank while posting a high growth percentile, which usually means they are closing a gap.

The FAST Equivalent Score maps the K–2 result onto the B.E.S.T. scale the state uses for grades 3–10, so a kindergarten or first grade score can be read against the same achievement levels older students receive.⁶

Beyond those overall numbers, the reports break results into skill domains: phonics, vocabulary, number operations, and so on. Those domain scores are often the most practical part of the report because they show exactly where a child is strong and where the intervention should focus.

When STAR and FAST Scores Start to Matter for Promotion

For most grades, K–2 STAR results and grades 3–10 PM1 and PM2 results are treated as informational.³ Third grade is the exception.

Florida law requires that a third grader reach Level 2 or higher on the grade 3 statewide ELA assessment to move on to fourth grade. The PM3 ELA Reading test at the end of the year is the one that counts, and Level 2 begins at a scale score of 186. A student who does not clear that bar must be retained.⁴

The statute allows district school boards to grant “good cause exemptions” from mandatory retention in specific situations:

English language learners with fewer than two years in an English for Speakers of Other Languages program
Students with disabilities whose IEP indicates that participation in the statewide assessment is not appropriate
Students who show acceptable performance on an alternative standardized reading assessment approved by the State Board of Education
Students who demonstrate at least Level 2 performance through a portfolio of work
Students with disabilities who have an IEP or Section 504 plan reflecting more than two years of intensive reading instruction, a continuing deficiency, and a prior retention in grades pre-K through 3
Students who have received intensive reading intervention for two or more years and were already retained for a total of two years in grades K–3, because a student cannot be held back more than once in third grade

A child promoted under any of these exemptions still receives intensive reading instruction and intervention in fourth grade.⁴

How Earlier Scores Drive Intervention

PM1 and PM2 do not decide promotion, but they trigger required action. Florida law says any student in VPK through grade 3 who shows a substantial reading deficiency based on screening or progress monitoring data must receive intensive reading intervention immediately, without waiting for the end of a grading period or a separate evaluation.⁴

That intervention has to be explicit, systematic, and delivered on top of regular classroom reading time, usually in small daily groups aimed at the specific skill the student is missing. It continues until the student demonstrates grade-level proficiency, which a district may define as reaching Level 3 on the statewide ELA assessment.

This is where the domain breakdowns on STAR and FAST reports do their real work. If a second grader’s PM1 shows a phonological awareness gap but solid vocabulary, teachers can aim the intervention at the gap. PM2 then shows whether the intervention is moving the needle before PM3 arrives.

Accommodations for Students with IEPs and 504 Plans

Students with IEPs or Section 504 plans can receive accommodations on both STAR and FAST. Renaissance’s STAR platform includes zoom and font size adjustments up to 400 percent, color contrast options, a line reader that isolates one line of text at a time, response masking to cross off eliminated answers, and a calculator on STAR Math items.⁹ STAR Reading and STAR Math in English are accessible to students who are blind or visually impaired. The accommodations a student actually receives should match what is written in the IEP or 504 plan.

Homeschool and Private School Students

Homeschool families in Florida are not required to take FAST or STAR. Under Section 1002.41 of the Florida Statutes, homeschool parents must submit an annual educational evaluation, but they choose the method from several options: a certified Florida teacher reviewing the child’s portfolio, any nationally normed achievement test given by a certified teacher, a state assessment taken at a district-approved location, an evaluation by a licensed psychologist, or another tool agreed on with the district superintendent.¹⁰ Most homeschool families use the portfolio review or a nationally normed test rather than the state assessments.

Traditional private schools generally do not participate in FAST either. Students attending private schools through state scholarship programs, such as the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, may face separate annual testing requirements set by the scholarship program rather than the general FAST rules.

Can a Parent Opt Out

Florida has no formal opt-out for statewide assessments. Some families have declined by instructing children not to answer, and the state then treats the student as having no valid score. In most grades the fallout lands on the school, which needs participation for federal accountability data.

For a third grader the risk is personal. Without a valid PM3 ELA Reading score, a student has no scale score to show Level 2 proficiency, and some districts take the position that a missing score also disqualifies the child from good cause exemptions that require demonstrating reading ability. The default outcome under the statute is retention, so a third grader without a score has to clear that bar some other way.

1
Florida Department of Education. 2025-26 FAST K-2 Fact Sheet
2
Florida Department of Education. Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) Star Early Literacy
3
Florida Department of Education. 2025-26 Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) Grades 3-10 Fact Sheet
4
Justia Law. Florida Statutes 1008.25 – Public School Student Progression; Student Support; Coordinated Screening and Progress Monitoring; Reporting Requirements
5
Florida Department of Education. Florida’s Statewide Grades 3-10 and EOC CAT FAQ
6
Renaissance Learning. Understanding FAST K-2 Student Scores Parent Quick Guide
7
Florida Department of Education. Florida Statewide Assessment Program 2025-2026 Schedule
8
Renaissance. Scaled Score (SS)
9
Renaissance. An Easier Way to Enable Accommodations in Star Assessments
10
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 1002.41 – Home Education Programs