Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 08:11     Subject: VALLSS (Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Both of my children have taken the reading iReady this year. What grades is this for and is it only for children that require intervention (one of mine does, the other does not).


Answered already:
VALLSS is a K-2 screener for reading
iReady is used at 3-6 for reading
iReady was still used in grades 7-8 also
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 08:08     Subject: VALLSS (Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Both of my children have taken the reading iReady this year. What grades is this for and is it only for children that require intervention (one of mine does, the other does not).


Answered already:
VALLSS is a K-2 screener for reading
iReady is used at 3-6 for reading


I thought FCPS used iready for 2nd grader as part of AAP screening- is it now vallss instead?
Anonymous
Post 01/27/2026 08:01     Subject: Re:VALLSS (Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Quick question on VALLSS and EMAS at the kindergarten level. My kindergartener received the results of the tests and, for some categories, she had a score above the "max" available score. Other categories were marked as "N/A." Before I bother our very overworked teacher, I thought I'd ask if the results make sense and if there was an easy explanation. Thanks!


I have not looked that closely at results but not all subtests were done in the winter window so maybe that’s why- not assessed?

Did the teacher give the results? The window closes 2/6.


Good catch! Yes, it was the Winter assessment. The "N/As" make sense as they may not have been administered. But, I'm still baffled how scores for some subsets can be higher than the subsets' max possible score.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2026 21:14     Subject: VALLSS (Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Is this similar to DIBELS?


It was virginias attempt to make their own Dibels. It measures similar things (RAN, ORF, blending, phoneme segmentation) it is better in a few ways but worse in others. Most notably as teachers we aren’t given bands of “risk” for sub tests, only overall. We have no way of knowing which sub score is weighted in the overall score. We also don’t know if the risk levels or the sub tests will change throughout the year, or if they will stay the same. It seems like we have been given half the information and are trying to make it work.


Why not use DIBELS? It’s free, easy, and is great information to share with parents.


Exactly FCPS spent a fortune on VALLS....and it takes a time suck.


This K teacher hates it. We finished fall testing on 10/31 and had to start winter on 1/8. Only 30ish school days in between. I am dreading the spring test.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2026 21:03     Subject: VALLSS (Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System)
it gave a "low risk" to my high iq stealth dyslexia (?? exact contours still not known) kid. so that isn't useful but the lower score (which was still fine!) in Pseudoword Decoding helped identify that there was an issue. if the teacher hadn't really been in tune about the pseudowords being off and I hadn't pushed really hard on atrocious handwriting and writing being completely unaligned with general abilities and classroom observations they wouldn't have evaluated. so somewhat useful but I think in most cases situations like these would be overlooked as low risk, it's fine.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2026 20:53     Subject: Re:VALLSS (Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System)
Anonymous wrote:Quick question on VALLSS and EMAS at the kindergarten level. My kindergartener received the results of the tests and, for some categories, she had a score above the "max" available score. Other categories were marked as "N/A." Before I bother our very overworked teacher, I thought I'd ask if the results make sense and if there was an easy explanation. Thanks!


I have not looked that closely at results but not all subtests were done in the winter window so maybe that’s why- not assessed?

Did the teacher give the results? The window closes 2/6.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2026 20:00     Subject: Re:VALLSS (Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System)
Quick question on VALLSS and EMAS at the kindergarten level. My kindergartener received the results of the tests and, for some categories, she had a score above the "max" available score. Other categories were marked as "N/A." Before I bother our very overworked teacher, I thought I'd ask if the results make sense and if there was an easy explanation. Thanks!
Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 15:36     Subject: VALLSS (Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Is this similar to DIBELS?


It was virginias attempt to make their own Dibels. It measures similar things (RAN, ORF, blending, phoneme segmentation) it is better in a few ways but worse in others. Most notably as teachers we aren’t given bands of “risk” for sub tests, only overall. We have no way of knowing which sub score is weighted in the overall score. We also don’t know if the risk levels or the sub tests will change throughout the year, or if they will stay the same. It seems like we have been given half the information and are trying to make it work.


Why not use DIBELS? It’s free, easy, and is great information to share with parents.


Exactly FCPS spent a fortune on VALLS....and it takes a time suck.
Anonymous
Post 10/01/2025 10:12     Subject: VALLSS (Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System)
The I-Ready was always meant to be a screener, to find kids that were not doing well. It is not meant to report to parents whose kids were doing well.

Of course, as a teacher, I could tell you which kids were struggling without all this testing. I also never understood why kids who were reading above grade level in class were forced to complete the I-Ready year after year, even with Pass Advanced SOL scores. Such a waste of time.

On top of that, I’ve never had a an I-Ready score report tell me anything I didn’t already know about a student.

It would save a lot of time for everyone if teachers were asked in the third week of school what kids were at risk and plans were put in place to help those kids. Principals could be given the teachers’ evidence, and we could all just get to work, but that would mean the companies that make tests would not make tons of money.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2025 19:42     Subject: VALLSS (Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System)
Anonymous wrote:It VALLSS actually useful? It seems to show deficits well perhaps, but it doesn’t really seem to provide much other information as far as a ceiling goes for anyone else.



We primarily use it to see who needs the (required)reading plan and daily intervention if found high risk. Depending on the school, moderate and low risk kids don’t get more attention beyond tier 1 but that can be a mistake for moderate kids because they can be easily fall into high risk in January.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2025 17:56     Subject: VALLSS (Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System)
It VALLSS actually useful? It seems to show deficits well perhaps, but it doesn’t really seem to provide much other information as far as a ceiling goes for anyone else.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2025 17:28     Subject: VALLSS (Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System)
Anonymous wrote:The VALLS is another piece of frustration added to this school year. It takes weeks to administer and we have to do it all again in January and May.
Anonymous
Post 11/07/2024 01:58     Subject: VALLSS (Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Is this similar to DIBELS?


It was virginias attempt to make their own Dibels. It measures similar things (RAN, ORF, blending, phoneme segmentation) it is better in a few ways but worse in others. Most notably as teachers we aren’t given bands of “risk” for sub tests, only overall. We have no way of knowing which sub score is weighted in the overall score. We also don’t know if the risk levels or the sub tests will change throughout the year, or if they will stay the same. It seems like we have been given half the information and are trying to make it work.


Why not use DIBELS? It’s free, easy, and is great information to share with parents.


I have no idea. The cynical side of me thinks because it keeps UVA school of education in business when there aren’t many students taking education classes anymore. The idealistic side thinks maybe given a little time, they can make a tool that fills in some of the holes of DIBELS.


Yeah - it replaced PALs which was developed by UVA, but now they are trying to make it align more with SOR.
Anonymous
Post 11/06/2024 22:01     Subject: VALLSS (Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System)
Anonymous wrote:Is there somewhere that publishes the ranges for each risk category by grade? I received a score for my kindergartener along with the range of the specific risk level she landed in but no other context.


The teacher has more info on their VALLS. Ask for a ten minute phone call and they can explain.
Anonymous
Post 11/06/2024 22:01     Subject: VALLSS (Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System)
There are always grade level reading and math benchmarks. It used to be iready. It changed because if the Virginia literacy act

Grades k-2 take VALLS. Students are labeled low, medium, or high risk. If considered high risk, they are required to get a “reading plan” and 2.5 hours of reading intervention per week.

Grades 3-6 take reading iready.

There is always a reading benchmark. If kids don’t meet benchmark, they qualify for tier 2 or 3 interventions. This is not new. Now the state just mandates certain things.

There are some cons to the VALLS