Carrollton-Farmers Branch gifted and NGAT guide.

Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD identifies Gifted and Talented (GT) students, served through what the district calls Advanced Learner services, using the Naglieri General Ability Tests (NGAT). The NGAT has three parts, Verbal, Nonverbal and Quantitative, plus a composite score. The district says the verbal part uses pictures rather than spoken or written questions.

The NGAT replaced the district's earlier ability test, which required a formal referral for every student in grades K-5.

What CFBISD says about identification

Kindergarten and 5th grade are screened automatically. Students in other grades need a referral, and the district says parents, teachers and district staff can all refer. Referrals are accepted only during the windows on the assessment calendar; a family that misses one is asked to submit in the next window.

Screening comes before formal identification. The district's Advanced Learner FAQ says a referred student must reach at least 89% on either the Math or Reading MAP assessment, or a composite score of 116 on the NGAT, to move on. The district does not say whether the 89% figure is a percentile. Screening results cannot be appealed.

Students who pass screening go through a formal evaluation. An Admissions, Review, and Exit (ARE) committee, usually a counselor, an administrator and a GT specialist, makes the decision, and students are identified in math, language arts, or both. That ARE decision can be appealed with added evidence.

The NGAT's Nonverbal test, which uses shapes, color, sequence and orientation, is the part closest in style to the NNAT®. The Verbal and Quantitative tests are different in content, so NNAT practice does not cover them.

Timing is the part families miss

If your child is in 1st through 4th grade, the fall referral window closed on September 25, 2026. The next chance is the spring window, April 1 to May 21, 2027, and screening for those referrals happens the following fall. A child who is not referred in grades 1 to 4 will next be screened automatically in 5th grade.

The NGAT is given only once per school year. A kindergartner or 5th grader who does not qualify can be referred again the next year by a parent or staff member.

LEAP, the district's accelerated program for highly gifted students, is a separate step. A student must already be GT identified in both math and language arts to be considered. The spring LEAP interest and screening window for PK-5 is January 4 to April 30, 2027.

What CFBISD says about preparation

CFBISD's NGAT page asks families to avoid any form of test preparation, including study guides or practice materials, because they can inflate scores. We think families should know that before doing anything else. If you want your child to be comfortable on test day, the district's own description of each part, a normal bedtime, and reassurance that it is fine not to know every answer are all consistent with that guidance.

Questions CFBISD parents should ask

1. Which NGAT tests will my kindergartner or 5th grader take, and on which day in the November window?
2. For a 1st to 4th grader: how do I submit a referral in the spring window, and when will screening happen?
3. Is the 89% MAP benchmark a percentile, and which MAP window counts?
4. What does the formal evaluation include after a child passes screening?
5. When will scores appear in Parent Self Serve?
6. If my child is identified in only math or only language arts, what does that mean for LEAP?

Our broader questions to ask your school guide can help you turn those into one clear conversation with your campus counselor or GT specialist.