I assessed my students, now what? VPK Assessment and Data Interpretation.

Once you have the assessment data, it’s helpful to know what tools are available so you can turn results into actionable learning steps.

Here are useful resources and how teachers can use them:

1. Official Resources & Reports (Florida FAST STAR Early Literacy)

From the Florida Department of Education & Renaissance, there are specific PDF guides and reports made for VPK providers / instructors:

• FAST Star Early Literacy Resources and Reports (PDF) — This contains detailed guidance on interpreting student results, score definitions, and reporting formats. Florida Department of Education

  
  

• STAR Early Literacy Score Definitions (PDF) — A breakdown of what different score ranges mean (skills, growth expectations, etc.). Florida Department of Education

  
  

• FAST-STAR Early Literacy FAQs (PDF) — Helps answer common questions about implementation, interpreting results, and next steps. Florida Department of Education

  
  

• Family Guide to STAR Assessments (PDF) & FAST Star Early Literacy Family Letter — These are helpful to share with parents so that they understand what the results mean and can support at home. Florida Department of Education

  
  

Using these, teachers can:

• Explain results to families in clear language

• See where a student falls on the scale and whether growth is typical or needs support

• Plan interventions or differentiated instruction based on specific skill deficits

2. Renaissance’s Educator / Teacher Resources

On the Renaissance site itself, a number of resources support teachers in interpreting data and using it to drive instruction:

• Renaissance Educator Resources / Educator Resource Hub — A place with guides, best practices, and downloadable tools for teachers. Renaissance

  
  

• Reports & Research — This includes “Focus Skills” reports, which help teachers see which specific skills students are still developing, so you know what content or activities to target. Renaissance

  
  

• Professional Learning / Training — Online modules, webinars, or support to help understand the assessment system and how to use the reports to plan instruction. Florida Department of Education

How Teachers Can Use These Resources in the Classroom?

Here are some concrete ways to use the above resources once you have your students’ FAST-STAR results:

1. Analyze class-wide trends

   • Use score definitions and focus skills to see which early literacy skills many of your students are still developing (for example, maybe many struggle with blending sounds or recognizing letters).

   • Adjust whole-class instruction or small group focus accordingly.

     
     

2. Plan small-group or individual interventions

   • Identify students who are well below benchmark and assign them targeted work (games, read-alouds, phonological awareness activities) to build weak areas.

   • Use “Focus Skills” reports to select specific lessons or activities that address those skills.

     
     

3. Communicate with families

   • Use the Family Guide or the Family Letter to send home understandable information about the child’s results.

   • Suggest home activities that align with what the student needs (e.g. letter recognition, rhyming, counting) so families can reinforce learning.

     
     

4. Monitor growth over time

   • Because the assessment is given three times a year, use the score definitions and growth charts to see how students are progressing from first to mid to end of year.

   • Use Renaissance / DOE reports to see if interventions are helping, and adjust if not.

     
     

5. Use professional learning and internal reflection

   • Take advantage of webinars, training, or help guides to deepen your understanding of what the reports mean.

   • Collaborate with colleagues: share what’s working, share resources from Renaissance Next or the Educator Resources hub.

     
     

How to Interpret Data after the STAR Early Literacy Assessment?

As a VPK teacher, one of your most powerful tools for understanding student growth is the STAR Early Literacy assessment from Renaissance. This assessment, part of Florida’s FAST progress monitoring system, provides valuable data three times per year (Beginning, Middle, and End of Year). But once you receive the results, the real question is: how do you interpret the data and use it to support your students?

Let’s break it down step by step.

1. Understand the STAR Scale

• STAR Early Literacy scores range from 200 to 1100 on a unified scale.

• Lower scores reflect early emergent skills, while higher scores reflect more advanced literacy readiness.

• Growth across the year is just as important as the actual score—so focus on progress rather than perfection.

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Tip: Keep in mind that the test is adaptive. A child’s performance will reflect both strengths and areas where they need more support.

2. Review the Score Definitions

Each score range is tied to specific skill expectations:

• 200–400: Early Emergent Literacy (recognizing pictures, colors, basic print awareness)

• 400–600: Transitional Literacy (beginning letter-sound knowledge, phonological awareness)

• 600–800: Probable Reader (decoding words, understanding simple text, vocabulary growth)

• 800–1100: Independent Reading skills developing

Use the Score Definitions Guide (PDF) to understand what skills your students are working toward.

3. Look at Benchmark Categories

Reports will show if students are At/Above Benchmark, On Watch, or Intervention/At Risk.

• At/Above Benchmark: Students are on track for kindergarten readiness.

• On Watch: Students need some targeted support in specific areas.

• Intervention/At Risk: Students need immediate, consistent intervention and progress monitoring.

These categories help you group students for instruction and plan small-group lessons.

4. Analyze Growth Over Time

Since the STAR is given three times a year, you can track growth from BOY → MOY → EOY.

• Look for steady upward movement on the scale.

• If a student’s score is flat or declining, revisit instructional strategies.

• Use the reports to celebrate progress with families and to adjust goals as needed.

  
  

5. Dig Into Subdomain Scores

STAR Early Literacy breaks down performance into skill areas such as:

• Phonological Awareness

• Alphabetic Principle (letter-sound knowledge)

• Vocabulary

• Comprehension

• Early Numeracy

These sub-scores are where the real instructional power comes in. Instead of only looking at the overall score, use subdomain results to pinpoint what specific skills to target.

6. Use Reports to Guide Instruction

Renaissance and the Florida DOE provide helpful reports after each assessment:

• Diagnostic Reports: Show skill strengths and weaknesses.

• Growth Reports: Track progress across testing windows.

• Family Reports: Easy-to-share documents that explain results in parent-friendly language.

  
  

Check out the FAST Star Early Literacy Resources and Reports page for downloadable guides.

7. Connect Data to Instruction

Once you’ve reviewed the results, the next step is putting them into action.

• Use Focus Skills by Grade Level (Renaissance Focus Skills) to identify which literacy skills are most important to work on now.

• Group students according to needs (phonological awareness, letter recognition, vocabulary, etc.).

• Provide targeted small-group lessons, games, and read-alouds that reinforce weak areas.

• Share results with families and suggest at-home activities.

  
  

8. Reflect and Adjust

Remember, data isn’t just about the students—it’s about your teaching too. Ask yourself:

• Are my whole-group lessons addressing the right skills?

• Do I need to adjust small-group time for students below the benchmark?

• How can I better communicate results with families?

Interpreting STAR Early Literacy data may seem overwhelming at first, but once you break it down, it becomes a roadmap for your teaching.

By looking at the scale, score definitions, benchmarks, growth, and subdomains, you’ll know exactly where your students are and how to get them where they need to be.

Teaching VPK is all about balance—balancing play with purpose, structure with flexibility, and data with heart. That’s where the VPK Pacing Calendar comes in!

It gives teachers a clear roadmap for introducing literacy, math, and assessment goals at just the right time—without feeling overwhelmed.

Introducing my VPK Supplemental Curriculum (10-Month Lesson Plan Bundle).

 Learn more here!

When you combine your daily classroom data with strong instructional practices—and use the pacing calendar as your guide—you’ll have everything you need to keep lessons engaging, organized, and meaningful. With this kind of intentional planning, your VPK students will be more than ready for kindergarten success and beyond.

Happy Teaching!