Coquina Connection
April 2025 🌷
Dates to Remember
April 1st: 4-6th FAST Writing
April 2nd: 5th to Starbase
April 3rd: 1st Grade Field Trip
April 3rd: Kindergarten Roundup @ 5:30pm (incoming KG students)
April 9th: 5th to Starbase
April 11th: Field Day for grades K-2
April 16th: Spring Picture Day
April 16th: 5th to Starbase
April 17th: Summer Slide Night 5:30-7pm
April 18th: Wear Purple to Honor our Military
April 22nd: FAST Test Grades K-2 (Reading)
April 23rd: FAST Test Grades K-2 (Math)
April 25th: Spring Concert (For Students in Chorus/Strings)
Coming up:
May 1st: FAST ELA 3rd-6th
May 2nd: Field Day for grades 3rd-6th
May 6th: FAST Math 3rd-6th
April is Military Child Month
Wear purple on April 18th to honor our Military
Resiliency Trait of the Month
Summer Slide Night
FAST Testing Letter (KG-2nd)
Dear Parent/Guardian,
The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) is a progress monitoring system that is administered three times per year to track your student’s progress in learning the Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards throughout this school year. The purpose of this letter is to inform you that your student will take the Kindergarten, 1st or 2nd grade Renaissance Star Early Literacy, Star Reading, and/or Star Math assessment(s) on April 22nd and April 23rd. The results from PM3 will show how well your student has mastered the grade level content standards, and your school will provide information about how to access the results.
Your student’s FAST assessments are computer-adaptive tests taken on a computer or tablet. The questions get less or more difficult depending on how a student responds, and each student will see different questions. If you or your student would like to review Star Early Literacy, Star Reading, and/or Star Math sample items at home, sample test items are available at https://flfast.org/families.html.
The Star Early Literacy assessment typically takes less than 15 minutes to complete. The Star Reading assessment is usually completed in less than 20 minutes, and the Star Math assessment typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete.
If you have any questions related to this test administration, you may contact Nichole Hoggatt at 321-264-3060.
For more information about the Florida Statewide Assessments program, please visit the portal at https://flfast.org/fsa.html.
Thank you for supporting your student and encouraging him or her to do his or her best during this test administration.
Sincerely,
Blair Lovelace
FAST Writing (4th-6th)
Dear Parent/Guardian,
The purpose of this letter is to inform you that your student will take the computer-based Grade 4th, 5th, or 6th Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Writing assessment on April 1st. The B.E.S.T. Writing assessment is administered in one 120-minute session, and students may work up to half of a typical school day. Your school will provide information about how to access the test results.
If you or your student would like to review the computer-based sample items at home, the sample items and certain released tests are available at https://flfast.org/families.html.
Please review the following policies with your student before testing:
Electronic Devices—Students are not permitted to have any electronic devices, including, but not limited to, cell phones, smartphones, smart glasses, and smartwatches, at any time during testing or during breaks (e.g., restroom), even if the devices are turned off or students do not use them. If your student is found with an electronic device or is found using Bluetooth/wireless headphones/earbuds during testing, his or her test will be invalidated.
Testing Rules Acknowledgment—All tests include a Testing Rules Acknowledgment that reads: “I understand the testing rules that were just read to me. If I do not follow these rules, my test score may be invalidated.” Prior to testing, test administrators read the rules to students, and students acknowledge that they understand the testing rules by clicking a checkbox beside the statement in the secure browser indicating they understand the testing rules.
Discussing Test Content after Testing—The last portion of the testing rules read to students before they click the box to accept the Testing Rules Acknowledgment states that because the content of all statewide assessments is secure, students may not discuss or reveal details about the test content (including the passages, prompts, and writing responses) after the test. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as texting, emailing, or posting to social media sites. Please make sure your student understands this policy prior to testing and remind them that “discussing” test content includes any kind of electronic communication, such as texting, emailing, posting to social media, or sharing online. While students may not share information about secure test content after testing, this policy is not intended to prevent students from discussing their testing experiences with their parents/families.
Working Independently—Students are responsible for doing their own work during the test and for protecting their answers from being seen by others. If students are caught cheating during testing, their tests will be invalidated.
Leaving Campus—If your student leaves campus before completing a test session (e.g., for lunch, an appointment), he or she will not be allowed to return to that test session. If your student does not feel well on the day of testing, it may be best for him or her to wait and be tested on a make-up day. Please remember not to schedule appointments on testing days.
Testing Accommodations—If your student has an Individual Education Plan (IEP), a Section 504 Plan, or is an English Language Learner (ELL) or a recently exited ELL, please contact the school to discuss the testing accommodations that will be provided for your student.
Please note, in the event a testing irregularity occurs in your student’s testing room, as part of a school investigation, your student may be asked questions to provide clarification of the incident.
If you have any questions related to this test administration, you may contact Nichole Hoggatt at 321-264-3060.
For more information about the Florida Statewide Assessments program, please visit the portal at https://flfast.org/fsa.html.
Thank you for supporting your student and encouraging him or her to do his or her best during this test administration.
Sincerely,
Blair Lovelace
FAST Reading and Math Letter (3rd-6th)
Dear Parent/Guardian,
The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) is a progress monitoring system that is administered three times per year to track your student’s progress in learning the Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards throughout this school year. The purpose of this letter is to inform you that your student will participate in the third administration (PM3) of the Grade 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th. Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) Reading and Mathematics assessments on May 1st and May 6th. The results from PM3 will show how well your student has mastered the grade level content standards, and your school will provide information about how to access the results.
Your student’s FAST assessments are computer-adaptive tests taken on a computer or tablet. The questions get less or more difficult depending on how a student responds, and each student will see different questions from a common item bank. Each test attempt (PM1, PM2, and PM3) will present items that cover the entire test “blueprint,” meaning students will encounter items representative of the standards within the subject or grade level. For more information on the test design, please visit https://www.fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/k-12-student-assessment/best/. If you or your student would like to interact with the online testing platform or review FAST Reading and Mathematics sample items at home, sample test items and released tests at certain grades/subjects are available at https://flfast.org/families.html.
Please review the following policies with your student before testing:
Electronic Devices—Students are not permitted to have any electronic devices, including, but not limited to, cell phones, smartphones, smart glasses, and smartwatches, at any time during testing or during breaks (e.g., restroom), even if the devices are turned off or students do not use them. If your student is found with an electronic device or is found using Bluetooth/wireless headphones/earbuds during testing, his or her test will be invalidated.
Calculator Policy—For Grades 7–8 FAST Mathematics assessments, approved handheld scientific calculators may be used. For Grade 6 FAST Mathematics, a handheld four-function calculator may be used. Calculator use is prohibited for Grades 3–5 FAST Mathematics.
Testing Rules Acknowledgment—All tests include a Testing Rules Acknowledgment that reads: “I understand the testing rules that were just read to me. If I do not follow these rules, my test score may be invalidated.” Prior to testing, test administrators read the rules to students, and students acknowledge that they understand the testing rules by clicking the box in the secure browser indicating they understand the testing rules.
Discussing Test Content after Testing—The last portion of the testing rules read to students before they click the box to accept the Testing Rules Acknowledgment states that because the content of all statewide assessments is secure, students may not discuss or reveal details about the test content (including test items and passages) after the test. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as texting, emailing, or posting to social media sites. Please make sure your student understands this policy prior to testing and remind them that “discussing” test content includes any kind of electronic communication, such as texting, emailing, posting to social media, or sharing online. While students may not share information about secure test content after testing, this policy is not intended to prevent students from discussing their testing experiences with their parents/families.
Working Independently—Students are responsible for doing their own work during the test and for protecting their answers from being seen by others. If students are caught cheating during testing, their tests will be invalidated.
Leaving Campus—If your student leaves campus before completing a test (e.g., for lunch, an appointment), he or she will not be allowed to return to that test. If your student does not feel well on the day of testing, it may be best for him or her to wait and be tested on a make-up day. Please remember not to schedule appointments on testing days.
Testing Accommodations—If your student has an Individual Education Plan (IEP), a Section 504 Plan, or is an English Language Learner (ELL) or a recently exited ELL, please contact the school to discuss the testing accommodations that will be provided for your student.
Testing Irregularities—In the event a testing irregularity occurs in your student’s testing room, as part of a school investigation, your student may be asked questions to provide clarification of the incident. In addition, your student may be required to retake the assessment if a suspected irregularity is reported that may affect the validity of the test results.
If you have any questions related to this test administration, you may contact Nichole Hoggatt at 321-264-3060.
For more information about the FAST program, please visit the portal at https://flfast.org/fsa.html.
Thank you for supporting your student and encouraging him or her to do his or her best during this test administration.
Sincerely,
Blair Lovelace
New Worlds Reading Workshop
Water Bottle Donations Needed
If you can donate water for field day it would be much appreciated! You can drop off donations to the front office.
