Nautilus Middle School in Miami Beach has released its Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) results for the 2024–2025 academic year. These results provide valuable insights into student performance across English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, highlighting both areas of strength and critical opportunities for growth.
This analysis examines student performance by grade and subject, compares outcomes across grade levels, and considers strategies recommended for continuous improvement.
The FAST assessments at Nautilus drew broad participation across grades 6 through 8:
Mathematics: 572 students tested; 293 (about 51%) performed at or above grade level.
ELA: 873 students tested; 507 (about 58%) performed at or above grade level.
On average, 55% of students across subjects met grade-level standards, leaving nearly half needing additional support. Notably, 25% of students scored at Level 1, signaling substantial intervention needs.
ELA: 61% of sixth graders met grade-level expectations.
Math: 65% met grade-level expectations, the highest performance of any grade and subject.
This strong performance underscores that Grade 6 students, particularly in math, have a solid foundation and instructional support.
ELA: 61% of students performed at or above grade level, maintaining parity with Grade 6.
Math: 47% met expectations, making Grade 7 Math one of the weaker subject areas across the school.
The disparity between ELA and Math suggests that additional instructional support in numeracy is especially needed at this level.
ELA: 53% of students met expectations.
Math: Just 29% met grade-level standards, the lowest performance across all grades and subjects.
Eighth-grade math performance is a significant concern, as fewer than one in three students are achieving proficiency. This outcome has implications for readiness as students transition to high school.
| Grade | ELA (% meeting standard) | Math (% meeting standard) |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 61% | 65% |
| Grade 7 | 61% | 47% |
| Grade 8 | 53% | 29% |
Key Takeaways:
Across all grades, student performance is spread across the five proficiency levels:
This distribution illustrates that while a strong group of students is excelling (14% at Level 5), a quarter of the student population is struggling at the very bottom, needing urgent and intensive support.
Schools that implemented structured programs such as Lumos Learning’s StepUp saw measurable gains—ranging from 2% to 13% improvements in FAST scores within a year. For Nautilus Middle School, projections suggest:
Such improvements could significantly change the trajectory of underperforming cohorts, particularly in eighth-grade math.
The FAST 2024–2025 results for Nautilus Middle School paint a picture of promising strengths in sixth-grade performance alongside serious challenges in eighth grade, especially in math. With more than half of students overall meeting grade-level standards, the school is well-positioned to build on its successes—but must act decisively to address learning gaps.