Since 2022, the Learning Systems Institute (LSI) at Florida State University has provided guidance and support to the Florida Department of Education’s first-ever PreK-2 assessment program. LSI’s involvement in this phase of the project will be completed in August, resulting in 4,000 newly created test items and 200 trained practitioners in Florida.
“The Florida Department of Education Test Development Center’s (TDC) partnership with LSI has significantly strengthened the development of high-quality, Florida-aligned assessments based on the B.E.S.T. Standards and the Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards: 4 Years Old to Kindergarten,” said Racquel Harrell, Executive Director at the Florida Department of Education Test Development Center.
LSI Director Rabieh Razzouk served as principal investigator on the grant from the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE). The goal was to develop test items aligned with the new math and English language arts standards adopted by FLDOE in 2022 and to develop those test items for students in prekindergarten through second grade. Previously, testing began in third grade.
“LSI was thrilled to be awarded the grant to lead this project and help develop a completely new assessment from the ground up,” Razzouk said. “It was a tremendous recognition of the work and the people that make LSI one of the leaders in industry-learning methods and a clear demonstration of how we deliver strong results. We are extremely proud to support the Florida Department of Education and of the foundation we have laid for years of future success to contribute to excellence in Florida’s early learning system.”
During the three years leading the project, teams from LSI and the Florida Center for Research in STEM (FCR-STEM) created professional learning workshops to help teachers explore assessments from multiple points of view. Topics included aligning the assessments to best practices in early childhood pedagogy, creating items that will allow for feedback based on learning trajectories, helping pinpoint common misconceptions students may have based on research, and ensuring true alignment to Florida B.E.S.T. standards (Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking).
“We were honored to provide guidance and support to FLDOE first PreK-2 Assessment program,” said Carrie Meyers, director of STEM outreach at LSI who served as co-principal investigator and led the FCR-STEM team on the math assessment items. “Our teams working on the project at LSI and FCR-STEM ensured that Florida teachers were involved from the beginning, creating test item specifications in committee meetings, attending professional development on best practices from early grades assessments, to writing and reviewing test items that will directly assess Florida B.E.S.T. standards.”
While creating test items was the primary goal of the project, the work was conducted on multiple fronts. The assessment teams developed test item specifications for math and English language arts (ELA) to guide the development of initial and future test items for the assessment in collaboration with the FLDOE.
“I have been so impressed with our assessment teams at LSI and FCR-STEM and the Florida educators working to develop test items for the ELA and math assessments,” said Stephanie Zuilkowski, associate director for research at LSI who also served as co-principal investigator on the project and led the LSI team on the ELA assessment items. “The primary goal of these assessments is to provide information about student learning in Florida, which aligns with the work LSI does with learning systems here in Florida and all over the world. This project was a collective effort between our teams at LSI and hundreds of Florida educators to create ELA and mathematics assessment items to assist 800,000 students in their educational goals.”
“This project was a collective effort between our teams at LSI and hundreds of Florida educators to create ELA and mathematics assessment items to assist 800,000 students in their educational goals.”
— Stephanie Zuilkowski, associate director for research at LSI who also served as co-principal investigator on the project and led the LSI team on the ELA assessment items.
LSI and FCR-STEM were able to leverage previous research in literacy and reading, along with their Math Formative Assessment System and Cognitive Guided instruction, to help guide the project and ensure best practices for the statewide assessment.
When planning the execution of Florida’s first-ever PreK-2 assessment program, LSI team members knew that classroom educators would be at the center of the process. Throughout the three years, it was the teachers who guided the project, and their voices are represented in the test items.
LSI strives to lead the way in creating innovative educational solutions that seamlessly connect theory with practice. Through advanced research, we develop industry-leading methods and implementation strategies to enhance systematic learning at all levels and in all environments. For more than five decades, LSI has been committed to driving measurable improvements in the performance of both individuals and organizations.
To learn more, visit lsi.fsu.edu.