Glendale Unified School District GATE testing and NNAT® guide.

GATE is Glendale Unified School District's Gifted and Talented Education program. The NNAT® is the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, a computer-based visual reasoning assessment that does not require reading, writing, or speaking.

This guide is written for GUSD parents who want to understand the spring screening process, what the district's published cutoff actually means, and how to help a 3rd grader prepare calmly before testing.

What Glendale Unified says about GATE identification

GUSD says the NNAT3 is administered to all 3rd graders district-wide in spring, and separately to 4th through 6th grade students who are new to the district. It is a computer-based test with 48 problems and a 30-minute time limit. Families receive a notification before testing with the option to opt out using a form provided by the school.

The district publishes an actual cutoff: students scoring at or above the 92nd percentile rank qualify for GATE. GUSD is explicit that percentile rank is not the same as percentage correct, since that distinction is a common source of parent confusion. Once a student is identified as GATE in GUSD, they are not retested and keep that identification for as long as they remain enrolled in the district.

At 3rd grade, the NNAT3 uses Level D, the level used for grades 3 and 4. It covers the same four question families as the earlier Level C, with more answer choices and finer visual distinctions. See our guide to NNAT® Level C vs Level D for what actually changes.

Why the district waits for every school to finish before sending results

Glendale's letter goes out only after all screening sessions across the district are complete and processed, not school by school as testing happens. That means a family whose school tests early in the spring window may still wait weeks for a result while other schools finish. It is not a sign anything went wrong; it is how GUSD scores the 92nd-percentile cutoff consistently across the whole district rather than school by school.

The practical takeaway: if your school tested weeks ago and you have not heard back, that is expected, not a reason to call the office yet. GUSD's own materials frame the district-wide wait as standard process.

Questions Glendale parents should ask

1. Has my 3rd grader's class completed spring NNAT3 testing yet?
2. Did the opt-out form go home, and is a decision needed by a specific date?
3. Is a 92nd percentile still the current-year GATE cutoff?
4. Roughly when will the district finish all schools and send result letters?
5. If my child is new to the district in 4th, 5th, or 6th grade, when will they be tested?
6. What GATE services are available at our school once a student is identified?

Our broader questions to ask your school guide can help you turn those into one clear conversation with the office or program contact.

How to prepare without adding pressure

The best preparation for a 3rd grader is short, consistent, and calm. Start with format familiarity: show the child the kinds of visual tasks they might see, then talk through the thinking after each question. A useful explanation should name the rule, not just reveal the answer.

If your child has not seen the NNAT® before, start with a short session rather than a full-length test. Then add complete timed practice only after the format feels familiar. Our guide to how to prepare for the NNAT® gives a simple structure for that progression.