PALS-Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades
Early literacy screening is the key to providing effective literacy instruction and preventing future reading problems. The Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) provides a comprehensive assessment of young children’s knowledge of the important literacy fundamentals that are predictive of future reading success. PALS is the state-provided screening tool for Virginia’s Early Intervention Reading Initiative (EIRI) and is used by 99% of school divisions in the state on a voluntary basis.
SRI-3rd-6th grades
Scholastic Reading Inventory is a reading comprehension test that assesses students' reading levels, tracks students' reading growth over time, and helps guide instruction according to students' needs.
A research-based program, SRI has been the subject of many scientific validation studies. The SRI research ranges from a norming study with a sample of 512,224 students to an analysis of gender, race, and ethnic differences among 19,000 fourth through ninth grade students.
Fountas and Pinnell-school wide
The Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment Systemis aformative
reading assessment comprised of 58 high-quality, original titles,
or “little books” divided evenly between fiction and nonfiction.
The assessment measures decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and
comprehension skills for students in kindergarten through 8th
grade. The set of books, recording forms, and other materials
serve as an assessment tool for teachers, literacy specialists, and
clinicians to use in determining students’ developmental reading
levels for the purpose of informing instruction and documenting
reading progress.
