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Hastings shifts assessment approach: FastBridge limited to early grades; CAPT/CAPTI used for others
Summary
District leaders outlined a shift in assessment strategy after MDE guidance: FastBridge will be limited in use past third grade; the district plans CAPT/CAPTI usage in middle and high school and is expanding intervention and teacher training tied to a newly adopted local literacy plan.
Andrew Hodges, Director of Teaching and Learning, and Andy Larson, literacy and curriculum lead, presented the spring FastBridge results, district assessment strategy changes and the district’s 2026–27 local literacy plan.
Hodges said the district has seen marked growth in early grades after curricular investments and training, but that MDE no longer recommends FastBridge past 3rd grade as the most actionable measure for intervention planning. The district will pilot CAPT for middle-school winter testing and discontinue the high-school FastBridge pilot, relying instead on the CAPTI screener for students who need additional touchpoints.
"MDE has had an update on their recommendations and they no longer recommend FastBridge past 3rd grade as giving the most actionable data," Hodges said, explaining the planned shift and its implications for intervention planning. (Andrew Hodges, Director of Teaching and Learning)
Larson outlined the local literacy plan, which the board adopted. The plan includes universal screening (FastBridge in early grades, CAPTI at higher levels), parent notification and targeted MTSS interventions monitored every 6–8 weeks, plus Phase 2 professional development for secondary teachers. Dyslexia screening steps (nonsense‑word fluency and other diagnostic checks) were explained as character‑based indicators rather than district diagnoses.
"We have a variety of different diagnostic assessments which give us more information about a student's phonological needs," Larson said, noting that not every student who struggles will be diagnosed with dyslexia and that the district is designing parent communications to avoid alarm while getting students needed support. (Andy Larson, Literacy and Curriculum Lead)
Board members pressed on differences between FastBridge and MCA results; presenters said the tools measure different constructs (skill fluency versus standards-based performance) and that FastBridge is more actionable for immediate classroom interventions.
The board adopted the local literacy plan and previously approved the functional morphology curriculum to support early-grade instruction.
The vote: local literacy plan adopted unanimously.
