Assessments

Phonological Awareness Literacy Assessment, PALS

Phonological Awareness Literacy Assessment, PALS, is a state provided screening for Virginia's Early Reading Initiative. PALS is administered in grades K-3 to identify students who may be at risk for reading difficulties and therefore qualify for additional reading support by the Title 1 or PALS teachers.

Having trouble understanding what your child's report means? Then, Click on the link for help reading your child's PALS assessment:

drive.google.com/file/d/1q4X0dtRxiaKRdMIieMq6v72ASmbVO4FJ/view

Star Assessment

Renaissance Star Reading scores represent how students performed on the test compared with the performance of a nationally representative sample of students, called the norms group. These scores present a snapshot of achievement at a specific point in time. As with any test, it is important to remember that many factors can affect a student’s test scores. Renaissance Star Reading test scores give only one picture of how a student is doing in school.

Having trouble understanding what your child's report means? Then, Click on the link for help reading your child's PALS assessment.

https://www.renaissance.com/2016/09/09/parents-guide-star-assessments/

Specialized Program Individualizing Reading Excellence, SPIRE

SPIRE, Specialized Program Individualizing Reading Excellence, is the intervention used by the Reading Specialists and PALS teachers. The initial SPIRE assessment looks at a student's ability to decode real and non-sense words. The assessment shows which phonics remediation skills a student needs, so the student can be placed in the appropriate SPIRE level. Decoding assessments are administered periodically to determine if a student has mastered a skill or if further remediation needs to occur with a specific skill.

Informal Reading Inventory, IRI

An IRI, Informal Reading Inventory is given at the beginning of the year to fourth and fifth grade students who received Title I or PALS the previous school year, as well as new students to the school. The assessment gives a grade level in reading, and also shows how a student is performing with fluency and comprehension. This assessment is administered again mid-year and spring to measure the progress of the student and to guide future reading instruction.