Grand Valley Local School District gifted testing and NNAT® guide.

Grand Valley Local School District in Orwell, Ohio identifies gifted students under Ohio's state rules and publishes a yearly Gifted Identification and Service Plan. The NNAT® is the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, a visual reasoning test that uses shapes and patterns instead of reading or math questions. Grand Valley uses the third edition, the NNAT3.

This guide is for Grand Valley families who want a plain summary of that plan. It is based on the 2025-26 plan, the most recent one the district has posted.

What Grand Valley says about gifted testing

Whole-grade NNAT3 testing happens in grades 1 and 4. To be identified with superior cognitive ability, a student needs a score of 126 or higher in either grade. Reading and math are handled separately: MAP Growth in grades 2 and 3, where a score at the 95th percentile identifies a student in that subject.

Our earlier records listed 4th grade only. The district's plan names both 1st and 4th grade, so a 1st grader's result matters too.

Referrals, retests, and results

Parents, teachers, and students can make a referral at any time of year, including for superior cognitive ability. The referral form is at the front office of your child's school. The district offers at least two assessment opportunities each year for referred students, working with the Ashtabula County ESC. After a referral, the district says it will notify parents of screening, assessment, and identification results within 30 days.

A student who reaches the 94th percentile may be retested individually with a different test. Individual tests include the WISC-V, where the identification score is 127. Once a student is identified, they stay identified for the rest of their K-12 years, and the district accepts qualifying scores from outside testing done within the past 24 months.

If you disagree with a decision, the plan says to send a letter to the superintendent or designee, who will meet with you and give a written decision within 30 days.

Questions Grand Valley parents should ask

1. When is this year's NNAT3 testing for 1st and 4th grade?
2. How and when will we receive the result?
3. If my child scores just below 126, is a retest offered?
4. How do I get and submit a referral form, and when are the two yearly testing opportunities?
5. What gifted service is offered for identified students in my child's grade?
6. Are the 2026-27 plan details different from the 2025-26 plan?

Our broader questions to ask your school guide can help you turn those into one clear conversation with the building principal or the county Gifted Coordinator.

How to prepare without adding pressure

Because 1st grade is one of the testing years, keep practice especially short and playful for younger children. The goal is that the puzzle style is not a surprise, not drilling.

Keep it short and steady: 10 to 15 minutes a day is plenty for a young child. Focus on format familiarity first. Show your child the kinds of visual puzzles the NNAT® uses, then talk through the reasoning after each one rather than just marking it right or wrong. Practice teaches your child what the questions look like and gives them ways to approach and think through them, so test day feels familiar instead of surprising.

Once the format feels familiar, add at least two full timed practice tests so test-day pacing is not a surprise. Our guide to how to prepare for the NNAT® lays out that progression in more detail.