Florida’s Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards

Florida, United States

The B.E.S.T. standards are designed to provide a world-class education for Florida students by focusing on literacy and mathematics through clear, concise benchmarks. They replaced the Common Core-based Florida Standards to return to a 'back-to-basics' approach with an emphasis on civic literacy and foundational skills.

Florida’s Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards

The B.E.S.T. standards are designed to provide a world-class education for Florida students by focusing on literacy and mathematics through clear, concise benchmarks. They replaced the Common Core-based Florida Standards to return to a 'back-to-basics' approach with an emphasis on civic literacy and foundational skills.

Governing Body: Florida Department of Education (FLDOE)

Year Adopted: 2020 (ELA and Mathematics); 2023 (Social Studies Update)

Grade Levels Covered

Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12

English Language Arts (ELA)

Kindergarten

ELA.K.F.1.1 Foundations

Demonstrate knowledge of the basic concepts of print.

Key skills: Identify front cover, Follow words left to right, Recognize uppercase/lowercase letters
ELA.K.R.1.1 Reading Prose and Poetry

Describe the main character(s), setting, and important events in a story.

Key skills: Character identification, Setting description, Retelling key events

Grade 3

ELA.3.R.1.1 Reading Prose and Poetry

Explain how one or more characters' development, feelings, or actions contribute to the plot in a literary text.

Key skills: Character analysis, Plot connection, Textual evidence
ELA.3.V.1.1 Vocabulary

Use grade-level academic vocabulary and other words and phrases gathered through listening and reading.

Key skills: Context clues, Academic language use, Word relationships

Grade 8

ELA.8.R.2.1 Reading Informational Text

Analyze how an author develops and supports the central idea over the course of an informational text.

Key skills: Central idea analysis, Supportive detail evaluation, Textual structure
ELA.8.C.1.3 Communication

Write an argument to support a claim with logical reasoning and relevant evidence from sources.

Key skills: Argumentative writing, Evidence integration, Counterclaim addressing

Grades 9-12

ELA.12.R.3.1 Reading Across Genres

Evaluate an author’s use of figurative language and explain the functional significance of those elements in interpreting the text.

Key skills: Rhetorical analysis, Interpreting allusions, Symbolism evaluation

Mathematics

Kindergarten

MA.K.NSO.1.1 Number Sense and Operations

Given a group of up to 20 objects, count the number of objects in that group and state the number of objects.

Key skills: One-to-one correspondence, Cardinality, Counting to 20

Grade 4

MA.4.NSO.2.1 Number Sense and Operations

Recall multiplication facts with factors up to 12 and related division facts with automaticity.

Key skills: Multiplication fluency, Division fact recall, Mental math
MA.4.AR.1.1 Algebraic Reasoning

Solve real-world problems involving multiplication and division of whole numbers including problems in which remainders must be interpreted.

Key skills: Problem solving, Interpreting remainders, Multi-step equations

Grade 7

MA.7.AR.3.1 Algebraic Reasoning

Apply the Laws of Exponents to generate equivalent numerical expressions.

Key skills: Exponent rules, Expression simplification, Integer exponents

Grades 9-12

MA.912.AR.2.1 Algebraic Reasoning

Given a real-world context, write and solve one-variable multi-step linear equations.

Key skills: Modeling with equations, Solving linear equations, Contextual application
MA.912.GR.3.3 Geometric Reasoning

Use coordinate geometry to solve mathematical and real-world problems on the coordinate plane involving perimeter or area of polygons.

Key skills: Coordinate geometry, Area/Perimeter calculation, Distance formula

Science

Grade 5

SC.5.P.8.1 Physical Science

Compare and contrast the basic properties of solids, liquids, and gases, such as mass, volume, color, texture, and temperature.

Key skills: States of matter, Property measurement, Scientific observation

Grade 8

SC.8.E.5.3 Earth and Space Science

Distinguish the hierarchical relationships between planets and other astronomical bodies relative to solar systems, galaxies, and the universe.

Key skills: Cosmic hierarchy, Gravity's role, Astronomical scale

High School (Biology)

SC.912.L.14.1 Life Science

Describe the scientific theory of cells (cell theory) and relate the history of its discovery to the process of science.

Key skills: Cell theory, Scientific history, Microscopy

Social Studies

Grade 1

SS.1.CG.1.1 Civics and Government

Explain the purpose of rules and laws in the home, school and community.

Key skills: Defining rules vs laws, Civic responsibility, Authority figures

Grade 7

SS.7.CG.1.1 Civics and Government

Analyze the influences of ancient Greece, ancient Rome and the Judeo-Christian tradition on America’s constitutional republic.

Key skills: Historical influence analysis, Republicanism, Democratic principles

High School (US History)

SS.912.A.2.1 American History

Review causes and consequences of the Civil War.

Key skills: Causal analysis, Reconstruction evaluation, Historical perspective
SS.912.AA.1.1 African American History

Examine the condition of slavery as it existed in Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean.

Key skills: Comparative history, Labor systems, Economic impact

Implementation Notes

Florida teachers use a 'spiraled' approach where foundational standards are revisited and deepened each year. The B.E.S.T. standards specifically include 'ELA Expectations' (EE) and 'Mathematical Thinking and Reasoning' (MTR) standards that are intended to be embedded in every lesson rather than taught in isolation.

Assessment

Student achievement is measured via the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST), which is a coordinated screening and progress monitoring system administered three times per year. High school students also complete End-of-Course (EOC) exams for Algebra 1, Geometry, Biology 1, Civics, and U.S. History.

About This Standard
Added:
January 13, 2026

This standard was generated using AI with grounded search to find official, accurate information. While we strive for accuracy, please verify important details with official sources.

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