Springing Ahead with VKRP Family Resources
First a Note of Thanks
Thank you to all the teachers, division contacts, support staff, and administrators for a successful completion of the first week of the VKRP Spring assessment term! We appreciate your persistence, patience, and support as we continue through the remainder of the spring term. Reminder – the VKRP spring term closes on June 4!
We also want to thank everyone who took the time to complete the VKRP fall surveys and for providing us with your candid feedback on the fall experience. We assure you that we take all feedback seriously and have taken note of the things we are doing well and areas where we can improve. One item that stood out to us was that some were not aware of the family resources on the VKRP webportal and public VKRP website, so we’re going to use this blog to highlight the family resources – what they are, where they are located, and how they can be shared with families.
Family Information Report
Once you’ve completed VKRP data collection for a student in your classroom (PALS, EMAS, and CBRS), you can access the Family Information Report. The Family Information Report provides an overview of VKRP and each of the assessments for families. It also shows a student’s scores on the assessments and provides some information about what each score means.
Looking at this family information report example for “Daisy Banks,” we can see that she received a raw score of 26 on the EMAS, which is above the spring benchmark. The report notes that Daisy is developing early mathematics skills as expected at this time. However, Daisy received a 2.80 score for Self-regulation Skills on the CBRS and the report notes that she may benefit from additional support to develop strong self-regulation skills. We can also see similar breakdowns of scores, benchmarks, and recommendations for Social Skills and Literacy Skills.
Also, notice at the bottom of the Family Information Report there is a link for parents to access resources they can use with their child at home! More on that in a moment…
The Family Information Report Looks Great… Where Can I Find It?
To access the family information report for one of your students, you must first complete at least one of the assessments. After an assessment is completed, you will see the scores reflected on the Classroom Overview page. Then, click on the student’s name, to see their Student Overview page.
On Daisy’s Student Overview page, we can see all of the scores for the EMAS and the CBRS as well as the Instructional Resources recommended. On the left-hand navigation bar, you will see the Family Information Report. Clicking that will take you to the Family Information Report.
Family Resources
As mentioned previously, at the bottom of each Family Information Report, there is a link to the Family Resource Packet that families can use to help their child continue to work on their mathematics, self-regulation, and social skills at home over the summer and into next year. This packet includes information about:
- What children were learning in kindergarten and what they will be learning in the following grade level – a list of skills that help families understand the developmental trajectories of children’s mathematics, self-regulation, and social skills from prekindergarten through first grade
- Ideas for how families can continue to build their children’s skills over the summer – a list of fun activities, along with descriptions, that parents can try with their child
These family resources can also be located on the VKRP website under the “For Families” tab.
Sharing Data and Resources with Families
It is up to the discretion of divisions to best decide how to share VKRP data and resources with families. Some divisions send home the Family Information Report and associated resources. Others share it, in combination with other data, during parent-teacher conferences. Other divisions choose not to share VKRP data with families. We recommend you contact your division or school leadership team for a decision on how VKRP data and resources should be shared with families.
More questions? VKRP provides support via the online chat feature when you are in the system, via email vkrp@virginia.edu, and via toll free 866-301-8278 ext. 1