• NNAT Test Schedule 
      Oct. 2 Connally             
      Oct.3    Drude                  
      Oct. 9 Gottschalk, Turner , Miller                 
      Oct. 10 Poole        
                                                            
     
    All Loudoun County third grade students will take the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test in October 2018. The test will be given to students in their regular classrooms during their usual SEARCH time.  Please prepare your child by making sure that he/she is healthy, well-rested, and that he/she has eaten a good breakfast on the day of the test.  No other preparation is needed!
     
    1. What does the NNAT2 measure?

    The Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test 2 assesses school learning ability without requiring a student to read, write or speak. Instead, students rely on reasoning and problem solving skills to complete the test items. Many people assume that intelligence is differentiated in two categories:  verbal and nonverbal. The distinction actually refers to the content of the items on an intelligence test, not to the type of thinking or intelligence required. Verbal and nonverbal tests are two different ways of measuring intellectual ability. 

    Currently in Loudoun County Public Schools, the main purpose for administering the NNAT2 is to identify students for gifted services in the area of general intellectual ability. The NNAT2 results may also be used to screen general ability for students whose school performance may be hindered by limited English proficiency.



    2. Why the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT2)?

    The NNAT2 was chosen because it was nonverbal.   LCPS was looking for a way to identify gifted students who may not perform well on ability tests with a large number of verbal items, including students with limited English skills or learning difficulties. 


    3. What types of questions are on the NNAT2?

    There are four categories of questions on the NNAT2:
    • Pattern completion: requires the student to complete a pattern by determining both general orientation and design details of the missing portion.
    • Reasoning by Analogy: requires the students to recognize a logical relationship between several geometric shapes
    • Serial Reasoning: requires the student to recognize sequence of shapes and changes in a sequence
    • Spatial Visualization: the student must recognize how two or more designs would look when combined

     

    NNAT2 Sample

    The geometric shapes and designs used for each test item are culture-free.   A sample test item from the NNAT2 is shown in the figure below (actual test items use blue, white and yellow because these colors are most easily perceived by those with color-impaired vision).        

     

    4. Who will take the NNAT2?

    Currently, all third grade students in Loudoun County Public Schools take the NNAT2 in the fall of the school year.  The NNAT2 is available to students in grades K-12 for intellectual ability testing. 


    5. How do I interpret the scoring report?

    Percentile ranks range from 1 to 99, and describe a student's test performance relative to other students of the same age in the national normative reference group. A student performing in the 95th percentile, for example, scored higher than 95% of the students at his/her age. 

    Ranks between the 25th and 75th percentile fall within the average range of normative expectations. 


    6. If there is a significant discrepancy between a student’s performance on the NNAT2 and his/her achievement in the classroom, should I be concerned?

    Students may score well on the NNAT2 who do not demonstrate high levels of achievement in the classroom. The NNAT2 demonstrates that these students have the ability to succeed in school, though they may not have acquired the skills required to achieve at that high level. Alternately, there are students who are very strong in the academic domain who may score poorly on the NNAT2. 

    The NNAT2 helps us identify students who may not demonstrate their ability on more traditional tests of knowledge because of limited English proficiency, language or learning difficulties, or other factors that may hinder achievement. It should be kept in mind that the NNAT2 scores give only one piece of information about a student.  As with any assessment, some tests will identify the strengths of students more than other tests. 


    7. How does the NNAT2 help my child qualify for Gifted Education services?

    The NNAT2 is one of the tests used by Loudoun County Public Schools to identify students in the area of general intellectual ability.
     
    8. How does the NNAT2 help my child qualify for Gifted Education services?

    The NNAT2 is one of the tests used by Loudoun County Public Schools to identify students in the area of general intellectual ability.