FAST / B.E.S.T., SY 2024-25
All grades, all students. % at Level 3 or Above.English Language Arts
26.2%
State avg 56.7%
District avg 54.8%
County avg 56.2%
-20.2pp since 2023-24
Mathematics
23.5%
State avg 58.9%
District avg 53.7%
County avg 55.4%
-21.1pp since 2023-24
Science
23.0%
State avg 58.7%
District avg 53.8%
County avg 55.2%
-27.0pp since 2023-24
What this means: On the FAST / B.E.S.T., Florida's statewide test, about 26 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level, about 23 of 100 do math at grade level, and about 23 of 100 are at grade level in science. Across all Florida schools, those numbers are about 57, 59, and 59. Reading and writing scores are down about 20 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 21 points and science scores are down about 27 points.
What is FAST / B.E.S.T.?
Florida public-school students take the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) three times a year in ELA and Math (grades 3-10), plus a B.E.S.T. Science test at grades 5 and 8. High school students take B.E.S.T. End-of-Course (EOC) exams in Algebra I and Biology. The Spring (PM3) administration is the summative measure used here.
What does "% at Level 3 or Above" mean?
It is the percentage of students at the school who scored at Level 3, 4, or 5 on Florida's 5-level B.E.S.T. performance scale. Level 3 is "On Grade Level"; Levels 4 and 5 are "Above Grade Level" and "Mastery". The cumulative top-three rate is the headline measure FLDOE reports for school grades. A higher number is better.
What does 26.2% mean for English Language Arts at JOSEPH WILLIAMS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
It means about 26.2 percent of students tested at JOSEPH WILLIAMS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL performed at grade level or above on the FAST / B.E.S.T. English Language Arts test in 2024-25. The statewide average for Florida that year was 56.7%. The other students fell into the lower performance levels.
How is the state average calculated?
It is a weighted average, not a simple average of each school's number. We multiply each public school's score by how many of its students tested, add those together for all schools in Florida, and divide by the total students tested that year. This way a big school with 1,500 students counts more than a small school with 50 students, which is the right way to ask "how did the typical student do this year?". District and county averages on this page use the same method, just scoped to that district or county.
Where does this data come from?
Florida Department of Education, Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) and B.E.S.T. End-of-Course exams (Algebra I, Biology). School-level results from the FLDOE Spring PM3 administration. Headline metric is the cumulative "Level 3 or Above" rate on Florida's 5-level B.E.S.T. performance scale.
How often is it updated?
FAST / B.E.S.T. is administered once a year (spring). Results are released by the state in the summer or early fall. We refresh this page after each annual release.
