Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment WISC-V vs. NNAT

My DS just received NNAT scores, and I'm very confused. He scored 25 points lower on the NNAT(mid 120's) than his FRI (low 150's) on the WISC. So, what does the NNAT actually measure? I had assumed it would correlate strongly to the WISC FRI, or at least the matrix reasoning subtest, on which he scored > 99.9 percentile. Or are the NNAT problems much more heavily loaded by visual working memory than the corresponding WISC FRI problems? DS was just average in the picture span subtest on WISC, for what it's worth.

Now, I'm worried that my DS will be excluded from gifted pull outs and gifted programming, despite the high 130's FSIQ.

Though it is supposed to measure something similar to matrix reasoning/FR the NNAT is generally considered a screening instrument. The difference in scores between it and the WISC-V wouldn't concern me that much per se (except as it affects access to services). It's also usually group-administered, often on the computer, which is not to the advantage of learners with ADHD (vs individually human-administered WISCs).

Okay. That's a bit of a relief! After seeing getting the WISC done 6 months ago, I just assumed he would score in the gifted ranges on the NNAT. But, it is done on the computer in a group setting at school, and I could easily see DS being much more impulsive with answering in that setting than he would be one-on-one with a psychologist, especially if he had to explain his thought process. Or, he just might have lost interest about halfway through the NNAT. His math achievement seems to correlate pretty well with his WISC scores, so I'll try not to overthink the NNAT.

Looking back, my DD's NNAT score was significantly lower than her WISC FRI/matrix reasoning scores as well, but she does have ADHD. I guess I'll have to be somewhat mindful of that possibility for DS, too.