Students darken circles on an answer sheet which has been preprinted with their identification information. This is an untimed test. Most students complete it in one hour or less. The MFRT is administered for the first time to students in the fall of Grade 6. The test is given in the fall in October and again in the spring in April.
Official results are usually available approximately eight weeks after testing.
The Maryland Functional Reading Test assesses reading at the sixth-grade level. The Maryland State Department of Education defines functional reading in terms of 74 objectives based on both the purposes and conditions involved in everyday reading experiences. The students' answer sheets are scanned at the Central Office of The Howard County Public School System, then a data tape is sent to the State Department of Education for scoring. Approximately 4-6 weeks after testing, preliminary results are available for parents and schools. Official results are released approximately eight weeks after testing, and used to update the Data Distribution System and the Central Office database.