The Virginia Language and Literacy Screening System (VALLSS) is the state’s official literacy screening tool used to identify students who may be at risk for reading difficulties. VALLSS is a key component of the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA), which requires school divisions to provide reading intervention services for students in kindergarten through grade eight who demonstrate substantial deficiencies in literacy.

VALLSS measures essential skills for reading development—including decoding, encoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension—and provides teachers with valuable information to guide instruction, plan targeted interventions, and communicate with families about student progress.

VALLSS Grades K–3

• Risk Bands: Students in grades K–3 are assigned to one of three Bands of Risk—Low Risk, Moderate Risk, or High Risk—based on their performance.
• Student Reading Plans (SRPs): Students identified as High Risk are most likely to experience ongoing reading challenges. Under the VLA, these students qualify for additional intervention services through the Early Intervention Reading Initiative (EIRI). This includes 2.5 hours per week of targeted intervention in addition to core reading instruction, along with the development of an individual Student Reading Plan.
• Progress Monitoring: Student growth is monitored at multiple checkpoints throughout the year (fall, mid-year, and spring) to inform adjustments in support.

VALLSS Grades 4–8

• Mastery Levels: For grades 4–8, VALLSS results are reported in three mastery levels for each subtest—Well-Below, Approaching, or Adequate—to pinpoint student strengths and areas for improvement.
• Student Reading Plans (SRPs): Under the VLA, students in grades 4–8 who did not pass the prior year’s Standards of Learning (SOL) Reading assessment, or who are identified with substantial reading deficiencies, are required to have a Student Reading Plan for the entirety of the school year.
• Instructional Decisions: Data from VALLSS and other assessments guide the creation of targeted SRP goals, ensuring interventions are explicit, systematic, and aligned to individual student needs.

Family Engagement

In accordance with the Virginia Literacy Act (§ 22.1-215.2), parents will receive notice before intervention services begin and will receive a copy of their child’s Student Reading Plan. Families are encouraged to participate in the development of the SRP and to partner with schools in supporting their child’s literacy growth at home.

STAR Reading is an adaptive computer-based test students take to support teachers with determining a student’s level of understanding in the area of reading . The test is administered throughout a school year to allow teachers to monitor student literacy growth.  To learn more about scores shown on the STAR report and what they mean, click the link below.

Sample STAR Report with Explanations

Virginia Literacy Partnerships (VLP)

Resources for Families - Learning Activities

Family News - Including VALLSS Grade Level Videos

Literacy activities and information to support families with language and literacy development in kindergarten through eighth grade.  

Students may visit their school's media center to check out books, but they also have online access to ebooks, interactive books, and audiobooks. Click on the link to see what NPS libraries have to offer. 

NPS Library Media Catalogs

REACH, Inc. promotes literacy for children throughout Coastal Virginia through access and ownership of books. The Big Free Bookstore, located at Janaf Shopping Center in Norfolk, provides quality books and educational literature readily available to the community at no cost. 

The Big Free Bookstore guidelines:

• Two new and two used per person, per household (not all members of the household need to be present).

• Visit up to two times per week.

The Big Free Bookstore