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Two types of national norms are available in FastBridge: User Norms, and Demographically Matched Norms.
User Norms
The FastBridge User Norms are based on all available data from schools that used the assessment for universal screening up to a certain date. To be included in the User Norms, a school must have screened at least 90% of enrolled students in a given grade. Among schools meeting this threshold, the median screening rate is about 96%.
Demographically Matched Norms
Demographically Matched Norms are also derived from schools that screened at least 90% of their students, but they also use complex sampling techniques to ensure that the norm samples match the U.S. school population demographics for gender, race/ethnicity, and free or reduced lunch rates.
Both sets of norms are valid for screening and identifying students at risk. However, because the Demographically Matched Norms better reflect the demographics of the student population at a given grade, they will be a bit more accurate across the full ability continuum (i.e., for lower and higher-performing students).
Norm Updates
National norms are very stable. Therefore, FastBridge typically updates national norms on a five-year cycle. Exceptions are made for modifications to the scoring method, or a substantial increase in the usage of a given assessment.
Norm updates always include updates to the benchmarks and aggregate growth norms where applicable.
Spanish Norms
The norms for Spanish reading assessments were developed using User Norms derived from schools that screened at least 90% of their students. Due to a variety of uses for which Spanish norms might be applied, FastBridge surveyed customers that use earlyReading Spanish and CBMreading Spanish assessments to learn the types of Spanish programs from which the norms were derived. Among those schools using FastBridge Spanish assessments for universal screening, we determined that the programs have the following characteristics:
- Are considered dual-language immersion (DLI) and/or two-way immersion
- Provide ELA and math instruction in Spanish
- Provide at least 50% of instruction in Spanish
- Balance the number of native Spanish and native English-speaking students
- Typically admit students only in kindergarten and require parents to make a commitment to keep their child in the program through grade 5.
It is the FastBridge philosophy that, like English norms, Spanish norms should be based on all students instructed in that language because norms have always represented the expected level of performance of the population of students in a given academic domain in the language of instruction.
The following table lists each FastBridge screening assessment and indicates the type of norms available by grade range and the year the norms were last updated.
National Norm Type by Assessments
| Assessment | Grade(s) | Norm Type | Last Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| aReading | K–6 | Demographically Matched | Summer, 2019 |
| aReading | 7–8 | Demographically Matched | Summer, 2023 |
| aReading | 9–12 | User Norms | Summer, 2023 |
| aMath | K–6 | Demographically Matched | Summer, 2019 |
| aMath | 7–8 | Demographically Matched | Summer, 2023 |
| aMath | 9–12 | User Norms | Summer, 2023 |
| earlyReading English Composite and Composite subtests | PK | User Norms | Summer, 2023 |
| earlyReading English Composite and Composite subtests | K–1 | Demographically Matched | Summer, 2019 |
| earlyReading English non-Composite subtests | K–1 | User Norms | Summer, 2017 |
|
earlyMath Composite and Composite subtests |
PK | User Norms | Summer, 2023 |
|
earlyMath Composite and Composite subtests |
K–1 | Demographically Matched | Summer, 2019 |
| earlyMath non-Composite subtests | K–1 | User Norms | Summer, 2017 |
| earlyReading Composite Spanish and Composite subtests | K–1 | User Norms | Summer, 2021 |
| earlyReading Spanish non-Composite subtests | K–1 | User Norms | Summer, 2017 |
| CBMreading English | 1–6 | Demographically Matched | Summer, 2019 |
| CBMreading English | 7–8 | User Norms | Summer, 2019 |
| CBMreading Spanish | 1–6 | User Norms | Summer, 2021 |
|
CBMreading English Comprehension Question & Recall |
1–8 | User Norms | Summer, 2017 |
| AUTOreading Composite | K–8 | Demographically Matched | Summer, 2019 |
| AUTOreading Subtests L1–L3 | K–8 | User Norms | Summer, 2023 |
| CBMmath Automaticity L1–L3 | 1–3 | User Norms | Summer, 2019 |
| CBMmath Automaticity L3 | 4–6 | User Norms | Summer, 2020 |
| SAEBRSa (Teacher) | K–12 | Demographically Matched | Summer, 2021 |
| mySAEBRSa (Student) | 2–12 | Demographically Matched | Summer, 2021 |
| CBMmath CAP | K–8 | User Norms | Summer, 2022 |
| CBMmath Process GOM L2–L6 | 2–6 | User Norms | Summer, 2017 |
| Comprehension Efficiency | 2–8 | User Norms | Summer, 2023 |
| Developmental Milestones | K | User Norms | Summer, 2017 |
a Includes updated benchmarks for subscales: Social, Academic, Emotional