VALLSS – Language & Literacy Screener System

The Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System (VALLSS) is the Virginia Department of Education’s sponsored literacy screener for pre-K through Grade 8 resulting from the Virginia Literacy Act. New students to APS will be required to take VALLSS if prior performance data indicates a need in reading. VALLSS measures components of reading that are key for reading comprehension. It has been piloted across the Commonwealth of Virginia with students from different backgrounds and language statuses and is aligned with the newest reading science.

VALLSS will:

Give a snapshot of critical literacy skills at a single moment in time,
Identify students at risk for developing reading difficulties, and
Provide instructionally-useful information to target instruction

Below is information provided

What is literacy and language development?

Literacy means that someone can read and write. Language development is the ability to understand and use spoken language. The goal of reading is to be able to understand (comprehend) what you read.

In order to read, students need to be able to:

1. decode – blend sounds together to read words

2. encode – spell words

3. understand and use language

As students’ skills improve in these three areas, they develop fluency (reading words quickly and correctly) and reading comprehension (understanding what is read).

What is a literacy screener?

A literacy screener is a test or assessment. It is designed to identify students who may be at risk for developing reading difficulties.

Early screening is critical because risk for reading difficulties can be detected as early as kindergarten. It is important to screen for reading difficulties early in students’ school careers, so that classroom instruction can be tailored to student need and they have the best chance to catch up.

What is intervention?

Intervention is extra instruction in specific skill areas that students need.

In Virginia, if students are identified as needing additional support, they receive intervention to help them make progress.

Research tells us that early intervention is critical for students with reading difficulties, as students will not simply “catch up” without extra instruction.

What does VALLSS measure for grades K-3?

VALLSS Subsets	Description	Grade
Code Based
Letter Names	Name upper- and lowercase letters to measure letter name knowledge	K
Letter Sounds	Say letter sounds when presented with a pair of upper- and lowercase letters (e.g., Ee) to measure letter sound knowledge	K – 1
Beginning Sounds Expressive	Say the first sound of a word or say a word that starts with the same sound as the given word to measure pulling sounds apart	K
Phoneme Blending	Listen to sounds and blend them together to say a word to measure putting sounds together	K
Phoneme Segmenting	Listen to a word and break it into sounds to measure breaking sounds apart	K – 3
Encoding	Spell words to measure application of phonics skills	K – 3
Real Word Decoding	Read words to measure application of phonics skills	K – 3
Pseudoword Decoding	Read made up words to measure application of phonics skills	K – 3
Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)	Read passage to measure the number of words read correctly in one minute	1 – 3
Language Comprehension
Passage Retell	Listen to and retell a story to measure oral language knowledge and skills	K – 3
Expressive Comprehension Questions	Answer questions after listening to a story to measure listening comprehension	K – 3
Nonsense Sentences	Repeat silly sentences to measure grammar	K – 3
Relational Vocabulary	Choose a picture after listening to a sentence to measure vocabulary	K
Vocabulary Fluency	Say the name of pictures quickly to measure vocabulary	K-3
RAN
Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN):Letters	Say the name of repeated letters quickly to screen for processing difficulties	K – 3

Who participates in VALLSS in grades K-3?

Beginning of Year: Required for all PreK-2, Grade 3-5 students flagged by VDOE or new to VA

Middle of Year: Required for all PreK-2 and Grade 3-5 students in high-risk band

End of Year: Required for all PreK-1 and Grade 2-3 students in moderate or high risk band

What does VALLSS measure for grades 4-8?

Measures word knowledge and fluency skills.
Identifies code-based and language comprehension skill gaps.

Code-Based Subtests

Word Reading	Assesses students’ accuracy in reading words with increasingly complex structures
Nonsense Word Reading	Assesses students’ accuracy in reading nonsense words with increasingly complex structures
Oral Reading Fluency	Measures students’ reading fluency with connected text
Spelling	Assesses students’ accuracy in spelling words with increasingly complex structures

Language Comprehension Subtests

Morphology	Measures students’ ability to use grammar and word parts (morphemes) to understand how word meanings change
Passage Comprehension	Measures aspects of vocabulary and inferencing skills
Sentence Comprehension	Measures students’ ability to understand sentences by combining vocabulary, syntax, and verbal reasoning

Detailed information about each of the Code-Based and Language Comprehension Subtests is available here on the UVA Literacy Partnerships webpage.

Who participates in VALLSS in grades 4-8?

Students who:

Scored Fail/Below Basic or Fail/Basic on the Reading SOL.
Passed the Reading SOL with audio or read-aloud accommodations.

What do VALLSS scores tell you?

If your child is at risk for developing a reading difficulty. After all of the subtests are completed, the student will receive an indication of an overall band of risk: low, moderate, high.
In what components of literacy your child needs further instruction. Teachers use this information to plan instruction and intervention, to ensure students get the support they need to catch up.

Risk Bands Explained

High Risk

Support is on the way! 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. Check with your child’s school about EIRI intervention provided for your child.

Medium Risk

Targeted, explicit instruction is needed! If your child is in the moderate-risk band, yourchild 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.

Low Risk

Systematic and explicit classroom instruction. 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. Continue to monitor your child’s VALLSS scores throughout the year.

VALLSS Parent Score Report Cover Letter

APS Logo

Dear APS Families,

All students in PreK and Kindergarten through Grade 2, as well as designated students in Grade 3 in Virginia, participate in an early reading screener called the Virginia Language & Literacy Screening System (VALLSS). This reading screener helps us assess how likely it is that a child may need extra support to progress in their reading skills.

What Does VALLSS Measure?

VALLSS includes subtests that evaluate:

Decoding (Reading)
Encoding (Spelling)
Language Skills

These components are essential for developing reading fluency and comprehension.

Understanding Your Student’s Score

Your student’s VALLSS score will indicate their level of risk, which is categorized into three bands:

Band of Risk	Description	Next Steps
High Risk	Indicates your student qualifies for reading intervention.	The school will share intervention plans with you.
Moderate Risk	Your student is not currently identified for intervention but will receive support.	The teacher will monitor and support your child’s progress.
Low Risk	Your student is doing well and will continue in their regular class.	Ongoing support from the teacher will continue.

Accessing Your Student’s Score

If your student participated, you can find their VALLSS score and Band of Risk in Parent Vue under the “Test History” section.

For Questions

If you have any questions or concerns about your student’s reading progress or the intervention plans, please contact your student’s school.

Learn more about VALLSS, including ways to support your child at home.

VALLSS Resources