Section 1002.69, Florida Statutes (F.S.), requires the Florida Department of Education to adopt a statewide kindergarten screening instrument that assesses the readiness of each student for kindergarten based on the performance standards adopted by the department under section 1002.67(1), F.S., for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program (VPK). The screening instrument, known as the Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS), must be administered to all public school kindergarten students within the first 30 days of each school year. Nonpublic schools may administer FLKRS to each kindergarten student who was previously enrolled in VPK. The results of this screening provide valuable information about a child’s readiness for school, help teachers develop lesson plans to meet each child’s individual needs, and offer useful information to parents.

FLKRS is also used to calculate the kindergarten readiness rates for the VPK Program. For more information on the VPK Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rate, visit the Office of Early Learning (OEL) website.

Beginning with the 2017-18 school year, the FLKRS assessment is the Star Early Literacy^®, which is an online, adaptive instrument that students complete independently in approximately 15-20 minutes. For information on FLKRS administrations prior to the 2017-18 school year, contact the Just Read, Florida! office.

Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener