In Full Bloom: VKRP Spring Assessments

Spring is a season of growth, and within VKRP, it’s also a meaningful time to reflect on progress and celebrate how far students have come over the course of the year. With the launch of the VKRP spring assessment term, we want to outline a few tips below that will help ensure you are prepared for a smooth, confident, and successful assessment term.

The VKRP spring assessment window will be open April 6 – May 15, 2026, and there are a variety of resources available in VAConnects to support you every step of the way. These end-of-year assessments play an important role in capturing student growth, informing instruction, and helping educators, families, and leaders understand the progress made throughout the school year.

Start with the Essentials

To set up for success, we encourage you to explore the resources available in VAConnects > VKRP > Training & Support. These tools are designed to guide you through assessment preparation, standardized administration, and understanding your data.

Here are a few key resources to prioritize reviewing in VAConnects:

VKRP Checklists: A helpful step-by-step guide to ensure nothing is missed as you prepare for the spring term.

Manuals (Pre-K & Kindergarten): Updated manuals for the Spring 2026 assessment term are available and provide detailed guidance on assessment procedures and expectations.

Training Modules: Short, informative video modules that walk through VKRP assessments, reports, and available resources. We’ve added new training modules for both Reports and Resources to guide you on how to best use those features within VAConnects.

Demo Videos: See examples of the EMAS in action to build confidence and consistency in administration. Please note that these demo videos are representative of the administration, but they do not include all EMAS items.

Administration Resources: Everything you need for assessment implementation, including administration conditions, EMAS kit materials, and a copy of the CBRS.

New This Spring: EMAS Practice Assessments

We’re excited to introduce a brand-new resource this term—EMAS Practice Assessments! Walking through the EMAS Practice Assessments is a valuable way to build confidence and ensure consistency prior to administering the assessment to a student. Because these practice assessments directly mirror the structure, content, and experience of the actual assessment, they provide an opportunity for educators to familiarize themselves with expectations, materials, and administration procedures. Taking time to practice can help reduce uncertainty, strengthen reliability, and support a smoother, more successful assessment experience for both teachers and students. These EMAS Practice Assessments are available for all three age groups – Pre-K3, Pre-K4, and Kindergarten – and all are available in both English and Spanish.

We encourage you to utilize this resource as many times as you’d like. To access the EMAS Practice Assessments, log in to VAConnects, go to “VKRP” in the left-hand navigation, and then click “Practice Assessments.”

Growing Strong Together

As you begin the VKRP spring assessment term, remember that these assessments are more than just a checkpoint – they’re an opportunity to capture student growth and inform meaningful instruction. The data from these assessments will provide useful reports for both educators and families as well as informative datasets for schools, programs, and divisions.

Continuing with the theme of growing together, we encourage you to consider how and when you might utilize the Family Resource Packets. These are tools that outline to parents what children have learned and what they will learn in the next grade while also providing activities to try at home together to encourage growth throughout the summer. These packets are a great way to inform families about their children’s growth and how they can support that during the summer months. You can find these resources in VAConnects under VKRP > Resources > Family Support.

Our VKRP Team is excited to launch the spring term and support you while you support your students! If you have questions or need assistance at any point, our Hotline team is ready to help. You can contact us via the chat feature within VAConnects, email us at vkrp@virginia.edu, or give us a call at 866-301-8278.

Let’s finish the year strong and continue growing together!

More Questions for the VKRP Team? VKRP provides support via the online chat feature in VAConnects, via email at vkrp@virginia.edu, and via toll free at 866-301-8278.