Hilliard City Schools gifted testing and NNAT® guide.

Hilliard City Schools identifies gifted students using a mix of whole-grade screening, which every student in a grade takes, and small-group testing by referral. The NNAT3 is the district’s main cognitive test. The district also uses the CogAT® (Cognitive Abilities Test) for referral testing in the winter, STAR tests for reading and math, and i-Ready for 2nd grade reading referrals.

This guide focuses on the piece with the nearest date: 4th grade NNAT3 testing for every student, set for October 5-9, 2026. If your child is in a different grade, the January 1st grade screening and the referral options are covered below.

What Hilliard says about its 2026-2027 testing windows

Hilliard’s gifted identification page lists the whole 2026-2027 schedule. No referral is needed for whole-grade tests.

1. STAR reading and math screening: September 1-18, December 1-18, and March 1-19 for all students (reading in grades 3-10, math in grades 1-10).
2. 4th grade NNAT3, whole grade: October 5-9, 2026.
3. NNAT3 by referral, grades 1, 2, 3, and 5: November 9-20, 2026. Referral deadline: October 23.
4. 1st grade NNAT3, whole grade: January 19-22, 2027.
5. CogAT® by referral, grades 1-5: February 1-19, 2027. Referral deadline: January 15.
6. i-Ready reading by referral, 2nd grade only: February 22 to March 5, 2027. Referral deadline: February 6.
7. NNAT3 by referral, grades 1-5: May 3-14, 2027. Referral deadline: April 16.

A 4th grader does not need a referral or a parent request to be tested in October. Hilliard does not accept 4th grade referrals for the November window, since the whole grade tests in October.

Hilliard’s identification plan (updated August 2025) lists the NNAT3 gifted identification score as 126 for grades K-4 and 125 for grade 5. Students who score a little below that may be retested. Identification lasts for the rest of a student’s K-12 schooling. Parents are notified of results through ParentSquare.

At 4th grade, the NNAT3 uses Level D, the level used for grades 3 and 4. It carries the same four question families as the earlier Level C but with more answer choices and finer visual distinctions. Our guide to NNAT® Level C vs Level D walks through what actually changes between the two.

Sample question

Try an NNAT® practice question

Choose the piece that continues every line and color across the empty window.

Listen

ABCDE

A real GateBuddy practice question.

Choose one of the five answers.

Choose an answer

Practice preview

Let your child see the format before test day.

GateBuddy introduces the visual reasoning formats used on the NNAT® through short, age-appropriate practice with clear explanations.

• Built around the four NNAT® question types
• An explanation after every answer: what changed and what stayed the same
• Short adaptive sets plus full, timed practice tests
• A live view so parents can follow along

Try free questions

Real GateBuddy practice questions, one of each NNAT® question type.

Why families of other grades should note the October 23 deadline now

The 4th grade window covers every student, so there is nothing for those families to sign up for. But a family with a child in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 5th grade has a real action item: the referral for the November 9-20 window closes October 23, about two and a half weeks after the 4th grade window opens. That is easy to miss if a family is only watching for the 4th grade date.

If your child is in one of those grades and you want them tested this fall, submit the referral by October 23. First graders will also be tested with the whole grade in January, and there are more referral windows in February and May.

What gifted services give your child in Hilliard City Schools

Hilliard serves identified students through a Written Education Plan that parents receive. The district lists:

1. Cluster grouping, grades 2-5: students identified in superior cognitive ability, reading, or math are placed together in a regular classroom. The classroom teacher has gifted training and works with a gifted intervention specialist.
2. The Arrow Program, grades 4-5: a full-time program at Tharp Sixth Grade School for students identified in superior cognitive ability and in math, reading, or both. Students must be identified by March 1 to be invited for the next year.
3. Grade 6: Honors Language Arts for students identified in superior cognitive ability or reading, and Accelerated Math 6 for students identified in math or superior cognitive ability.
4. Grades 7-8: honors and accelerated courses count as gifted services for students identified in superior cognitive ability or the matching subject.
5. High school: Advanced Placement and College Credit Plus courses count as gifted services for students identified in superior cognitive ability or the matching subject.

Because superior cognitive identification counts in every one of these steps, a 4th grade NNAT3 result can shape services through high school.

Questions Hilliard parents should ask

1. What day is my 4th grader’s class testing during October 5-9?
2. If my child is in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 5th grade, how do we submit a referral before the October 23 deadline?
3. When will October testing results be shared with families?
4. If my child does not qualify this round, what is the next testing opportunity?
5. What gifted services are available at our school for an identified student?
6. When is the deadline to be identified for the Arrow Program?

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 effectively for the NNAT

Useful prep is about knowing the format, not cramming. At 4th grade the NNAT3 uses Level D. A simple plan:

1. Learn the format first. Work through a few questions of each of the four NNAT® question types together, and after each one have your child say the rule out loud: what changed and what stayed the same. Our guide to the four NNAT® question types shows each one. GateBuddy shows an explanation after every question that names the rule, and it can read instructions and explanations out loud, which helps a child who is still building reading skills or simply learns better by hearing it.
2. Practice 10 to 15 minutes a day, for as long as you can. Reasoning skills build like a muscle, a little at a time. A few weeks of practice helps, but months of short, steady sessions build much more.
3. Spend extra time on the weakest question type. Once you see which type your child misses most, give it a larger share of each session. GateBuddy’s practice sets do this for you: each set of five leans toward the question types your child has seen least and adjusts how hard the next questions are based on recent answers. You can also pick one question type and a level (easy, medium, or hard) to work on a weak spot.
4. Take full, timed practice tests: at least two, and more is better. A full test is where your child learns pacing and how to work alone against a clock, the way test day works. Every GateBuddy plan includes eight full, timed NNAT® practice tests, so your child can take several along the way and still save the last two for the final few weeks as a dress rehearsal. While your child works on their own, GateBuddy’s Live View lets you follow along from your own phone: how many questions they have answered, the answer they just picked, and how many they have right so far. Your child gets the independence of test day, and you still see everything.

Practice teaches your child what the questions look like and ways to approach them, so test day feels familiar. Our guide to how to prepare for the NNAT® gives a simple weekly plan.