Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment NNAT2

Hello everyone,
My daughter scored in the 99th percentile with the NNAT2 and in addition to that was given a reading and math achievement test. Unfortunately, the past year I encountered health issues so my daughter wasn't taught ANYTHING (I home-school her and this past year her schooling can be described as "eclectic" since my health prevented me from teaching her any book work). She's in kindergarten.
Well, because of her score on the NNAT2 she didn't need much to get into the gifted program, but missed it by 1 point! I feel so guilty and horrible.
My question is on whether it is realistic that she can make up for it by next year. But most importantly, what exactly does the NNAT2 measure? Because I obviously couldn't "prep" her for that. Does her score mean she has potential to eventually be eligible if I'm able to teach her properly reading and math?
So basically this is a "what exactly does 99th percentile in the NNAT2 mean for my child"?

Welcome!

Hope you are feeling better.

99th percentile is a high score. That said, it is my understanding that the NNAT2 has been retired by Pearson and replaced with the NNAT3. These nonverbal ability tests are considered "culture fair" and assess a child's ability to process patterns of shapes and symbols. These tests are meant to assess a child's innate ability; Unfortunately, there have been some test preps for these tests.

Kindergarten students, even gifted ones, typically don't receive much formal instruction. The reading and math achievement tests would measure her academic accomplishment in these areas... How did she do on these achievement tests?

Not qualifying for a gifted program based on being 1 point short on an achievement test is something that may possibly be negotiated with a school. For example:
- a test score is just a snapshot on a given day; A child may have an "off" day.
- kids may learn in jumps and plateaus, rather than a smooth progression.
- a new test may show extreme progress/achievement in reading and/or math.
- a teacher recommendation (after observing her the classroom) may sometimes outweigh test scores and grant entry into advanced academics.

You may wish to learn:
- How frequently are the kids tested for entry into the gifted programs/services?
- What do the gifted programs/services consist of?