August 29, 2024
Good afternoon Prince George Families,
We are writing to share important information with you regarding upcoming screenings as part of the Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System, or VALLSS.
During September and through the 2024-25 School Year, kindergarten through third-grade students will be screened as part of PGCPS and Virginia's commitment to reducing the number of children with reading problems through early diagnosis and supportive intervention. These early interventions are essential as students who are not proficient in reading by the end of third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school than proficient readers.
This screening aims to get a snapshot of critical literacy skills at a single moment, identify students at risk for developing reading difficulties, and provide essential information to target instruction and best support students.
Understanding Your Child’s Screening
Later this fall, you will receive information about your child and their literacy level following your child’s screening, outlining your child’s risk level for potentially developing a reading difficulty, and in what areas your child may need additional support. After completing the screening, your child will receive an indication of an overall band, Low, Moderate, or High Risk:
- Low Risk: If your child is in the low-risk band, they are at low risk for developing a reading difficulty. Your child needs to continue to receive systematic and explicit classroom instruction. Families are encouraged to continue to monitor their child’s VALLSS scores throughout the year.
- Moderate Risk: If your child is in the moderate-risk band, your child is at moderate risk for developing a reading difficulty. Your child needs to receive targeted, explicit instruction in areas of need based on the VALLSS instructional indicators. Even though your child is not in the high-risk band, supplemental instruction is highly recommended to move them to the low-risk band and get them caught up in key skill areas.
- High Risk: If your child is in the high-risk band, they are significantly behind in basic literacy development and need targeted, explicit instruction. Your child is eligible for an additional 2.5 hours of literacy instruction per week through the Early Intervention Reading Initiative (EIRI). This 2.5 hours per week of additional literacy instruction may include time with a person or a program, or a combination of the two. We encourage you to reach out to your child’s school for information about EIRI intervention and resources for your child.
More Information
We encourage you to review the VALLSS brochure for information about the screening, including how to interpret the VALLSS scores and what they mean for your child. This information is also available on the district's website at http://www.pgs.k12.va.us/apps/pages/VLA.
Also linked here and available on our district website is a variety of resources available for families through our partnership with The University of Virginia at https://literacy.virginia.edu/resources-families.
Those with questions are invited to reach out to their child's school. We appreciate your support as we ensure the children of our community have every resource available to be successful!