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Manatee Students Start Year Strong on FAST PM1; district narrows gap with state
Summary
District officials presented PM1 progress-monitoring results showing gains in early literacy and math across multiple grades and a stronger starting point in third grade compared with last year.
District assessment leaders told the board on Oct. 7 that the fall progress-monitoring (PM1) results for reading and math show a promising start to the 2025-26 school year.
Evan McCarthy, Director of Assessment, Accountability and Research, said Manatee's K–2 early-literacy measures are up compared with the same window last year and that the district is narrowing its gap with statewide averages in several grades. He described PM1 as a baseline measure that helps the district shape instruction for the year ahead.
“PM1 is really our starting point as an organization,” McCarthy said. “This is where we're starting to begin the year. But I think there's some data in here that's very promising and speaks of a very positive 25-26 school year in the school district of Manatee County.”
District slides presented at the meeting showed gains in kindergarten through second-grade reading; third- through fifth-grade reading results that were generally improved with third and fifth grades notable for gains; and middle-school and high-school grade bands that compared favorably with the state in several areas. District staff noted the effect of summer reading interventions and acceleration pathways in some grade-level test comparisons.
On math, staff explained that the district now tests accelerated students above grade level in some grades and that this year allows a cleaner apples-to-apples comparison with last year. McCarthy said the consolidated math results show positive movement across many grades, with some gaps reflecting students who are accelerated and tested on higher-grade content.
Board member Frey asked for the "magic-wand" factor—what most lifts students from a level 2 to level 3. McCarthy and the superintendent replied that deliberate, student-by-student tracking, goal setting, strong core instruction, tiered interventions, and family partnerships are key to moving students.
Superintendent Breslin and assessment staff urged parents to use the FOCUS parent portal to view their students' results and noted that district communications will remind parents how to access and interpret results. Staff highlighted the district's coaching structures, common unit assessments, and weekly executive-level data reviews intended to sustain and accelerate growth between PM1 and PM2.
Ending: The district said it will present PM2 results in January and that the current PM1 data will be used to guide interventions and coaching through the fall and winter.
