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Early Learning / Prekindergarten

 

 Early Learning / Prekindergarten 

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Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS)

The purpose of the Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS) is to gather information on a child’s overall development and to specifically address the readiness of each student for kindergarten based on the VPK Education Standards. The FLKRS is also used to calculate the VPK Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rate, which measures how well a VPK provider prepares four-year-olds to be ready for kindergarten based upon Florida’s VPK Education Standards.

History of Kindergarten Screening in Florida

Kindergarten screening has long been used to give kindergarten teachers instructional information about the group of children that are entering kindergarten. Legislation was passed to enact statewide kindergarten screening for all public school kindergarten students, beginning in 1997. Prior to this, districts screened kindergarten students using district-adopted measures.

History of Kindergarten Assessment in Florida (PDF, 30KB)
This document outlines the history and legislative authority pertaining to kindergarten assessment in Florida from 1997 to present.

Kindergarten Screening and VPK

Section 1002.69, Florida Statutes, describes the Department of Education’s responsibilities related to statewide kindergarten screening and the calculation of VPK Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rates. This law requires that the statewide kindergarten screening be administered within the first 30 days of kindergarten. Children who participated in VPK and attend kindergarten in a non-public school are also provided opportunities to participate in the screening.

The kindergarten screening became known as, The Florida Kindergarten Readiness System (FLKRS). During Fall 2006 through Fall 2008, the (FLKRS) included a subset of the Early Childhood Observation System™ (ECHOS™) and the first two measures of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills™ (DIBELS™) for kindergarten (Letter Naming Fluency and Initial Sound Fluency).

Kindergarten Screening/FLKRS in 2009-10

Beginning with the 2009-10 school year, the new Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading will replace the DIBELS™ measures of the kindergarten screening. The ECHOS™ will continue to be used through 2010-11. The items included in the (FLKRS) continue to be aligned to the VPK Education Standards.

Resources

FLKRS Overview 2009-2010 – June 2009 (PDF, 616KB) New!
FLKRS Overview 2009-2010 – June 2009 (RTF, 77KB) New!
An overview of the changes to the 2009-2010 Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS) presented across the State at regional meetings/trainings, workshops, and conferences.

Frequently Asked Questions about changes to FLKRS (PDF, 103KB) New!
These Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) can be downloaded here as a PDF file, for easy printing

New Kindergarten Reading Assessments – Information for VPK Providers (PDF, 57KB)
A timeline of events as elements of the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading become a part of FLKRS.

New Reading Assessments for FLKRS Assessment Flyer (PDF, 252KB)
This flyer outlines changes to FLKRS as a result of the new Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading.