What parents should know at the beginning of school year? Most parents think about the school staples, school buses, teachers, etc.
As a parent, you also should know that there are many tests at the beginning of school year.
here is the testing calendar by grade for parent to refer to:

Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP), Virginia Grade Level Alternative VGLA): Reading , Developmental Reading Assessment®, 2nd Edition (DRA2), NNAT, CoGAT will be tested the fall semester.

Here is the resource for parent to prepare for DRA2:
http://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PSZw5u&PMDbSiteId=2781&PMDbSolutionId=6724&PMDbSubSolutionId=&PMDbCategoryId=3289&PMDbSubCategoryId=28139&PMDbSubjectAreaId=&PMDbProgramId=23661
If your child is in 5th or 6th grade, you should start to prepare for the IIAT test.
http://120perhour.com/IAAT-practice-test-sample.htm

If you want your child to prepare for the JHU-CTY program, it is the right time to start preparing for SCAT:
http://120perhour.com/scat-sample-test-index.htm