VKRP Spotlight - Winchester Public Schools
For this VKRP Spotlight, we traveled a familiar road north to Winchester Public Schools (WPS) who joined VKRP in 2016 during the piloting phases of VKRP development. Educators collaborated with the VKRP team on numerous visits for feedback and focus group sessions. The WPS Team has worked to hone their implementation of VKRP consistently reaching 100% completion. Under the leadership of Kristin Nicholson, VKRP Contact and K-12 Mathematics Supervisor for WPS, the division has incorporated the VKRP data into other data collected by teachers to inform their instruction, support children’s growth, and share information with families on how to reinforce skills at home.
We connected with Nicholson, who gives very detailed and “hands on” to support teachers in the implementation and use of the VKRP assessments and data. Like many VKRP Contacts, she starts planning for the school year’s assessments during the prior year. She coordinates with division and school-level administration to determine assessment windows, dates for conferences with families, and time for incorporating data into planning for instruction and interventions.
Winchester gets creative and detailed with their assessment window – completing the Early Mathematics Assessment System (EMAS) module by module. Nicholson sets teachers up for success by starting at the beginning of the VKRP-recommended window and designating one week to complete each module with all students. During week 3 of the window, educators are prompted to complete the Child Behavior Rating Scale (CBRS) for their students while continuing their modules of the EMAS. Nicholson sends weekly reminders to teachers (and principals) for when to start each module. She clearly communicates expectations for preparation and implementation of the assessments, review of the reports, and exploration of the VKRP resources by personalizing the Teacher Checklist provided by VKRP to align with WPS’s assessment calendar (see below).
Nicholson has received feedback from teachers that this format is less stressful for them and students. She says, “I have great teachers who make this happen.” Some tips teachers have shared with her:
- Be ready with assessments early for students who come in to eat breakfast, they can be assessed after breakfast and before all students arrive.
- Take advantage of assessing while an instructional aide is in the room.
- Conduct multiple modules in one sitting for children with strong self-regulation skills.
- Do assessing in stations or during math block.
When it comes to reviewing the data, it’s a team approach. Math coaches and interventionists support teachers’ exploration of all assessment data they collect. Per Nicholson, “VKRP data is just one piece of the puzzle” to support individuals and groups of students. Building-level administrative teams are involved as well, pulling assessment data and collaborating on supports needed for classrooms and teachers. Numerous resources are provided for teachers’ math instruction. Nicholson points out that teachers have used the VKRP instructional resources, especially in the subdomain of patterning.
The assessments are timed so that teachers can review the data before Family-Teacher Conferences in October. Teachers share the Family Information Report and talk with families about any questions. They also discuss ideas and resources for extending their child’s learning at home, referencing the VKRP website page for families.
In addition to using the VKRP data to support children’s growth during the school year, WPS also conducts a week of Kindergarten Summer Camp with every rising kindergartener invited to attend. Pre-k educators in the WPS Virginia Preschool Initiative classrooms print out the VKRP Spring Student Overview to put in the children’s instructional folders, which are passed to the assigned kindergarten teacher, to share “a bit of what we know about the child’s skills,” per Nicholson.
We are grateful to Kristin Nicholson and her educators in Winchester Public Schools for providing us a window into their VKRP assessment implementation strategy and how they are using the data and resources from the assessment system to support their youngest learners.
We'd love to shine a spotlight on you!
The VKRP Team will continue our tour around the commonwealth and shine a light on more creative practices and approaches to using the VKRP assessment system during our spring blogs. We invite you to reach out to our team with your ideas and strategies – vkrp@virginia.edu or 866-301-8278.
More Questions for the VKRP Team? 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
