Irvine Unified School District GATE, APAAS, and NNAT® guide.

GATE is Irvine Unified School District’s (IUSD’s) Gifted and Talented Education program. Instead of one qualifying test, IUSD looks at several scores together in what it calls a Multiple Criteria Measure (MCM).

This guide covers what GATE gives your child in Irvine, how the full-time APAAS program differs and how to apply, how screening works in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade, and where the NNAT® (Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test) fits in.

What GATE gives your child in Irvine Unified

Here is what being identified for GATE means in Irvine:

1. A GATE cluster class in grades 4 through 6. Every IUSD elementary school places a small group of GATE students together inside a regular, mixed-ability classroom. The teacher plans harder work for that group, and your child learns next to other advanced students while staying with friends their own age.
2. Deeper work, not more homework. GATE students study the same grade-level subjects with greater depth and complexity, during the school day, through small groups, extra materials, and different activities. IUSD says it does not add homework or at-home projects.
3. Teachers trained for gifted learners. GATE teachers get training in the academic and social-emotional needs of gifted students, and adjust lessons to where each child is.
4. A GATE program in middle school. IUSD middle schools also offer a GATE program in grades 7 and 8, along with honors courses. Each school’s administration team decides placement.
5. A designation that stays on record. Once placed, GATE stays in your child’s record through graduation.

Sample question

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Use the completed example to picture how the shapes outside the frame fold inward.

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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

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

APAAS: Irvine’s full-time program for advanced learners

IUSD also offers the Alternative Program for Academically Advanced Students (APAAS) in grades 4 through 6. Where GATE places a small group of advanced students inside a regular classroom, APAAS students learn together in their own APAAS classes for three years. IUSD designed it for “highly intellectual learners” who are curious, work independently, enjoy complex, open-ended work, and can express their ideas in writing.

Here is what parents should know about APAAS:

1. You apply for it. GATE screening is automatic, but APAAS is not. A parent submits an online application during the January window. Your child does not need to be GATE-identified to apply.
2. The NNAT counts here too. For 3rd graders, the application uses four criteria, and IUSD says all four are weighted equally: the NNAT, STAR Reading, STAR Math, and a creative writing sample. The NNAT is the same test every IUSD 3rd grader takes once for GATE screening, so one test day feeds both programs.
3. Seats go to the highest combined scores. IUSD compiles the criteria and offers placement in score order until classes are full. It lists about 200 4th grade openings each year, so every measure matters.
4. 4th grade is the main way in. APAAS is built as a three-year program, so 5th and 6th grade openings are limited and only open to students already enrolled in IUSD. Irvine families whose child attends private school can apply for 4th grade with proof of residency.
5. Six schools host it in 2027-28: Bonita Canyon, Brywood, Deerfield, Eastshore, Santiago Hills, and Westpark (year-round calendar).

How Irvine Unified’s Multiple Criteria Measure works

IUSD screens every student in grades 3, 4, and 5, every year, automatically, during the school day. You do not need to sign up. To qualify, a student must score in the top 20% of their grade level on the measures below. Families are told the placement decision by early July.

In 3rd grade, a student must meet the criteria in 3 of these 4 categories:

1. Ability: the NNAT. Every 3rd grader takes it once. The district describes it as a nonverbal, culturally neutral test, meaning it uses shapes and patterns instead of words.
2. Reading: STAR Reading from Fall or Winter, or the English language arts test from the CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress).
3. Math: STAR Math from Fall or Winter, or the CAASPP math test.
4. Creativity: a writing sample. Students write a creative story from a prompt. IUSD staff score it for use of language, divergent thinking (coming up with many different ideas), and how well the ideas are developed.

For 3rd graders, the only CAASPP score is from the state test taken in the spring of 3rd grade. IUSD added CAASPP to the 3rd grade criteria in 2025-2026 (the 2024-2025 overview used STAR only), so the Fall and Winter STAR tests are the scores your child will definitely have in hand.

STAR is a computer-based reading and math test IUSD gives several times a year. The higher of your child’s Fall and Winter STAR scores is the one that counts.

In 4th and 5th grade, a student must meet the criteria in 2 of 3 categories: report card proficiency, reading (CAASPP or STAR), and math (CAASPP or STAR). The NNAT is not part of 4th and 5th grade screening.

In 3rd grade, the NNAT is Level D, the level used for grades 3 and 4. It covers Pattern Completion, Reasoning by Analogy, Serial Reasoning, and Spatial Visualization, with more answer choices and finer visual differences than the earlier Level C. Our guide to the four NNAT® question types shows what a 3rd grader will actually see.

Why one strong score isn’t enough in Irvine Unified

Because 3rd graders must meet the criteria in 3 of 4 categories, a very high NNAT score cannot qualify a child on its own. It also means one weaker area does not rule a child out: a student who does well on the NNAT, the writing sample, and either reading or math can still qualify.

And a child who is not identified in 3rd grade gets two more chances. They are screened again automatically in 4th and 5th grade, based on report cards and reading and math scores.

For parents, the NNAT is the one part of 3rd grade screening that looks nothing like regular schoolwork, which is why it is worth practicing. Strong reading and math across the year, and comfort writing a creative story from a prompt, count too.

Questions Irvine parents should ask

1. What date will my 3rd grader’s class take the NNAT this year?
2. When will students write the creative writing sample, and what kind of prompt do they get?
3. What score counts as the top 20% on each measure this year?
4. Which STAR and CAASPP scores will be used for my child?
5. When in early July will families hear about placement, and how?
6. What does the GATE cluster class look like at our school in 4th grade?
7. Which APAAS school would my child attend, and when are the APAAS writing sample and tests given?
8. Is the APAAS application open to us if our child is not GATE-identified? (IUSD says yes.)

Our broader questions to ask your school guide can help you turn those into one clear conversation with your school.

How to prepare effectively for the NNAT

1. Start with the format. Show your child each of the four question types in short sessions, and talk through the rule after every question. A good explanation names the rule, so your child can use it on the next question. 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 type. Most children find one or two question types harder. Focus there once the basics feel familiar. 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.
5. Don’t forget the rest of 3rd grade screening. Reading, math, and writing a short creative story from a prompt all count in Irvine, so everyday reading and story writing help too.

Our guide to how to prepare for the NNAT® goes deeper on each step.