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Board reviews VALS midyear screening; superintendent urges targeted interventions
Summary
Superintendent reported midyear VALS literacy screening showing reductions in high‑risk K–3 students and highlighted a plan for targeted interventions, data meetings and cross‑checks with STAR; kindergarten analysis showed differences tied to pre‑K experience.
The board received a presentation on the Virginia Literacy Screening System (VALS) midyear results for grades K–3 and next steps for targeted literacy interventions.
Dr. Daniel explained that VALS assesses skill acquisition (not content mastery) and is aligned with the Science of Reading. He told the board that midyear scores show several grade‑level gains compared with fall: for example, kindergarten high‑risk counts fell from about 24 of 40 in the fall to 19 at midyear and the kindergarten low‑risk group grew from 5 to 13 students. “So as our teachers are adjusting to the Virginia Literacy Act…and as we're activating those additional instructional hours, our students are showing gains,” Dr. Daniel said.
The presentation included disaggregated counts (numbers tested by grade), cautions about small sample sizes and clustering moderate/low categories to avoid identifying students, and a summary of intervention policies: students in the high‑risk band qualify for EIRI (an additional 2.5 hours of literacy instruction per week on top of the 2‑hour elementary reading block). The superintendent said teachers, reading specialists and literacy coaches are conducting data meetings to refine interventions and that the division will compare VALS, STAR and STAAR results to triangulate growth.
Board members asked whether stretch/higher‑level questions on VALS count against students; Dr. Daniel said the higher‑level items are scored in the student’s favor and are not penalizing. The presentation also included a pre‑K vs. no‑pre‑K analysis for kindergarten (30 of 40 kindergarteners reported pre‑K experience) showing differential midyear improvement but the superintendent cautioned that sample sizes are small for broader conclusions.
The board expressed cautious optimism and directed staff to continue data meetings and to provide follow‑up when additional assessment results are available.
