Last week, my principal walked into our planning meeting with that look. You know the one. The "we need to talk about new standards" look that makes every teacher's stomach drop a little.

"So," she said, "how's everyone feeling about B.E.S.T.?"

The room went quiet. Finally, Jessica, our second-year teacher, raised her hand tentatively. "Um, what exactly changed? I mean, I know Common Core is out, but..."

Ay, mija. I felt for her. Here we are, deep into our second year with B.E.S.T., and we're still figuring out what's actually different.

The Big Picture Changes

Let me be real with you. After surviving NCLB and Common Core, I was bracing for another complete classroom overhaul. But honestly? B.E.S.T. isn't the dramatic shift some of us expected.

The biggest change is the focus on what Florida calls "foundational skills." Think phonics, fluency, and computational thinking. It's like we're swinging back toward more explicit instruction, which frankly, many of us never stopped doing anyway.

In math, we're seeing less emphasis on explaining multiple strategies and more focus on standard algorithms. Remember how Common Core wanted kids to show their thinking in seventeen different ways? B.E.S.T. is more like, "Show your work, but let's get to the answer efficiently."

What's Actually New in My Classroom

Reading Changes

The reading standards feel familiar but with sharper teeth. We're still doing close reading and text evidence, but there's more emphasis on phonics instruction even in fourth grade.

I've had to dust off some phonics materials I thought I'd retired. Last month, I caught myself doing a mini-lesson on syllable patterns with my struggling readers. It felt weird at first, pero it's actually helping kids like Marcus (not my son, my student Marcus) who still stumbles over multisyllabic words.

The vocabulary standards are beefier too. We're expected to teach Greek and Latin roots more systematically. I'll admit, this one caught me off guard. I spent my winter break relearning morphology. Carlos found me at the kitchen table with index cards covered in root words, shaking his head.

Math Shifts

Math is where I've noticed the most practical changes. The standards are more streamlined, which sounds great in theory. But streamlined doesn't always mean easier to teach.

We're doing more mental math strategies and fact fluency work. The multiplication standard expects kids to know their facts through 12x12 by the end of fourth grade. That's not new, but there's more pressure to make it stick.

What is new is how we're approaching word problems. B.E.S.T. wants us to use "real-world contexts" that are actually real-world. No more "Johnny has 47 watermelons" problems. Thank goodness.

The Stuff That Stayed the Same

Here's what nobody talks about enough: most of good teaching hasn't changed.

We're still differentiating instruction. We're still using data to drive decisions. We're still building relationships with kids and meeting them where they are.

My bulletin boards look pretty much the same. My small group rotations? Same structure, different standards codes at the top of my lesson plans.

The kids still need us to be patient, creative, and flexible. Samantha still needs extra processing time. David still learns best when he can move around. Ana still shuts down when she feels overwhelmed.

Standards change. Kids don't.

What's Driving Me Crazy

Can we talk about the assessment piece for a minute? Because honestly, this is where I'm struggling.

The FAST tests are supposed to align with B.E.S.T., but I'm still figuring out how to use that data meaningfully. The reports are different from FSA, and I'm spending way too much time trying to decode what they're actually telling me about my students.

And don't get me started on finding quality practice materials. Half the stuff out there is still labeled "Common Core aligned" or doesn't match the B.E.S.T. expectations. I've been creating more of my own materials than I have in years.

The Learning Curve Is Real

I'll be honest. There are days when I feel like a first-year teacher again. Last week, I was teaching a lesson on text features and realized halfway through that I was still using my old Common Core language. The kids didn't care, but it threw me off.

We're all learning together, and that's okay. Even after 22 years, I'm still figuring things out. The other day, my teammate Rosa and I spent our entire lunch period comparing how we're teaching long division now versus how we taught it two years ago.

Practical Survival Tips

Start Small

Don't try to overhaul everything at once. Pick one subject area and really dig into those standards first. I started with math because that's my comfort zone.

Find Your People

Connect with other teachers who are figuring this out too. Our grade-level team has a group chat where we share resources and ask quick questions. It's been a lifesaver.

Use What Works

If you had a great lesson under Common Core that still meets the B.E.S.T. standard, keep using it. Don't reinvent the wheel just because the standards have new names.

Give Yourself Grace

We're all learning. Some days you'll nail it, and some days you'll feel lost. Both are normal.

The Bottom Line

B.E.S.T. isn't the dramatic overhaul some of us feared, but it's not nothing either. The changes are real, especially in how we approach foundational skills and assessment.

But here's what I keep reminding myself: we're still teachers. We still know our kids. We still know how to help them learn and grow.

The standards will probably change again before I retire. (Please, Florida, let me have a few years of stability first.) But the heart of what we do, the reason we show up every day, that stays constant.

We've got this. We always do.

What changes have you noticed in your classroom since B.E.S.T.? I'd love to hear how other teachers are navigating this transition. Drop me a line or share in the comments. We're all in this together.