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B.E.S.T. New Scale Scores:
Standard setting took place in Summer 2023 to establish a new B.E.S.T. scale. Starting in Winter 2023, scores are being reported on the new scale approved by the State Board of Education. The scale score ranges differ by grade and subject. Achievement levels describe a student’s success with the content assessed. As required by state law, achievement levels range from 1 to 5, with Level 1 as the lowest and Level 5 as the highest. For all assessments, Level 3 indicates on grade level performance. Higher expectations were established with the adoption of the B.E.S.T. Standards, which are more rigorous than the previous standards, the Florida Standards. The adopted cut scores for the FAST assessments and B.E.S.T. EOC assessments set higher expectations that bring us a step closer to ensuring all our students are prepared for postsecondary success.
Because the two scales were established for two different assessment systems aligned to different standards and the B.E.S.T. Standards are more rigorous than the Florida Standards, performance comparisons should not be made.
Your student received a score for a test on the provisional scale during the 2022–2023 school year and/or for a fall 2023 assessment (PM1, B.E.S.T. EOC, or FAST Grade 10 ELA Reading Retake), this score will update in the Florida Reporting System and Family Portal to reflect how your student would have scored on the new B.E.S.T. scale. The previous provisional scores are being retrofitted and provided on the B.E.S.T. scale for informational purposes, so that you can make “apples to apples” comparisons to see your student’s progress over time. The converted score will look different because the provisional and B.E.S.T. scales use different number ranges, and the number ranges for B.E.S.T. are lower. This does not mean that the test got easier or that the standard was lowered. The new score is simply placed on a new range of numbers (325–475) vs. the provisional range (425–575).
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