My child scored Level 1 or 2 on FAST PM1. What should we do before PM2?

What a low PM1 result can tell you

FAST PM1 is a beginning-of-year baseline. Each window samples full grade-level content, including material your child may not yet have been taught. Level 1 or 2 is below the Level 3 on-grade-level threshold, but FDOE says an early result does not necessarily mean a student is off track. PM1 and PM2 inform instruction and support; they are not year-end achievement designations.

Read the reporting categories alongside the overall score. A category can start a useful question, but it does not explain every missed item or diagnose a difficulty. Ask the teacher to connect the report with classwork and observation. FDOE 2026–27 FAST fact sheet, reporting guidance (PDF) ↗

Five questions to take to the teacher

• Which one or two skills need attention, and what classwork shows that?
• Which reported skills have already been taught, and which are still ahead?
• What instruction or intervention will school provide, and how can home practice support it?
• What would useful progress look like, and when should we check in again?
• What is our PM2 date, and are my child’s testing accommodations arranged?

You do not need to share your child’s name, school report, or score with a practice website to have this conversation. Keep official records with the school and ask for an explanation you can act on.

A manageable plan for the weeks before PM2

1. Choose one focus. Use the teacher’s advice. For reading, that might mean finding a detail that supports an answer. For math, it might mean drawing a model before calculating. These are examples, not diagnoses from a score.
2. Try a short set. Suggestion: ten minutes on two or three days a week, adjusted to your child’s attention and the school’s plan. Use class materials or original practice questions; more questions are not automatically better practice.
3. Review the thinking. Ask what the question wanted, which passage detail or mathematical step helped, and what to change after a miss. Read the explanation, then try a fresh question on that skill.
4. Keep a small note. Record the skill tried and what still felt hard. Bring recurring patterns to the teacher. Count completed work separately from an official FAST result.
5. Check in before the test. Revisit the plan with the teacher and confirm school logistics. Keep normal reading, schoolwork, sleep, and breaks in the routine.

If reading the words themselves is difficult, ask the teacher about decoding, fluency, and appropriate reading instruction. A comprehension question bank cannot replace that instruction or a school support plan.

Grade 3 and Grade 10: ask about the actual requirement

Grade 3 reading

Promotion generally requires Level 2 or higher on Grade 3 ELA Reading PM3. A summer test opportunity and limited good cause pathways exist, including approved alternative assessments and qualifying portfolios. A low PM1 result alone is not an automatic retention decision. Confirm the support plan and district requirements. Grade 3 parent guide → · Official promotion guidance ↗

Grade 10 reading and Algebra 1

Graduation assessment rules depend on the student’s cohort and assessment history. Retakes and approved alternatives exist; timing matters. For first-time Grade 10 students in 2026–27, newly earned ELA concordant scores must follow spring PM3, except scores already earned before August 25, 2026. Ask the counselor to confirm the applicable path. Grade 10 parent guide → · Current graduation requirements (PDF) ↗

School accountability is a separate question

FDOE uses PM3 for school accountability. That system describes school performance; it is separate from an individual child’s promotion or graduation requirements. PM1 and PM2 help the school plan instruction. Ask about your child’s support, rather than treating a school-accountability measure as their predicted future.