We just got my daughter's FAST results from her Grade 6 sitting and I'm trying to figure out how to contextualize the numbers. She scored at Level 3 in ELA and Level 2 in Math. Her teacher says Level 3 is on track for her grade, but the Math score has me a little concerned given she's looking at more rigorous coursework next year.
We've been doing about 30 minutes of math practice most evenings and I thought that was sufficient. Looking back, I think we were practicing computation — she can do the operations — but the FAST questions are more about reasoning and applying concepts to unfamiliar situations. That's a different skill.
Has anyone navigated a Level 2 in Math before an accelerated year? I'm wondering whether a summer tutor makes sense or whether focused FAST Practice Test work over the break would be enough.
She's not stressed about it which I guess is a good sign. I'm probably the anxious one here.
We were in a similar spot two years ago with my son. We did a mix of practice tests and one tutoring session per week over the summer — 8 weeks total. He went from Level 2 to Level 4 the next year. Not saying that's typical but it's doable.
The bigger thing I'd watch for is whether the math reasoning piece translates to how she talks through problems at home. If she can explain her thinking even when she gets the wrong answer, she's building the right muscle.
Level 2 in math is pretty common for Grade 6 and doesn't necessarily predict anything about the harder coursework. The jump between grade levels on FAST is more about the reasoning strand than computation, like you said. A few targeted sessions on word problems and multi-step reasoning can move a score meaningfully.
Level 3 in ELA for Grade 6 is genuinely solid. Don't let the math number overshadow that. A lot of kids who do well in reading-intensive courses end up doing fine even with a math gap because they can decode word problems better than peers who are strong at computation but weak on language.