Ohio Ready to Read

Kindergarten Readiness Assessment - Literacy (KRA-L)

All Ohio kindergartners attending public schools are assessed at the start of the school year with a tool developed by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE). The Kindergarten Readiness Assessment - Literacy (KRA-L) measures skill areas important to becoming a successful reader. It also helps teachers plan for experiences and lessons that encourage reading.

The KRA-L assesses oral language, rhyming, letter identification and alliteration-elements identified as essential for reading. The KRA-L is composed of 6 activities that include:

Answering who, what, when why and how questions
Repeating sentences
Identifying words that rhyme
Producing words that rhyme
Identifying letters
Identifying beginning sounds of words

Ohio Department of Education uses three performance bands to score results:

0-13 points: Assess broadly for intense instruction
14-23 points: Assess for targeted instruction
24-29 points: Assess for enriched instruction

How Can Libraries Use KRA-L Data?

Public libraries must partner with chldren's most important teachers - parents and caregivers - to prepare every child to be a successful learner. Finding the KRA-L scores for the students in your community will help you assess the level of need for Ohio Ready to Read Parent Workshops. To find the KRA-L scores by district in your county, go to the Ohio Department of Education KRA-L page and select 'Fall 2008 KRA-L Aggregate Data by District.' The KRA-L page also has several helpful resources available for download, including a Family Guide to Understanding Early Reading Skills.

OHIO READY TO READ is administered by the State Library of Ohio and the Ohio Library Council and is made possible, in part by Federal Library Services and Technology Act Funds, awarded to the State Library of Ohio by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, Dayton Metro Library and Columbus Metropolitan Library have provided additional resources to this project.