Moreno Valley Unified School District GATE testing and NNAT® guide.

GATE stands for Gifted and Talented Education. NNAT® stands for Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, a visual reasoning assessment that uses shapes and patterns instead of reading passages, vocabulary, or math computation.

What Moreno Valley says about GATE identification

MVUSD’s GATE page lists three categories of GATE identification:

1. Intellectual ability. This is the 2nd grade path. The district’s GATE Test Proctor gives the NNAT3 as a group test at each school to every 2nd grader whose parent signed a Permission to Test form. The district lists the qualifying level as the 89th percentile and above or a standard score of 125 or above. The district also says eligible students in other grades may be tested at this time.
2. High achievement. Scores at the “Advanced” level in both English language arts and math on the state test for two years in a row, plus report card grades of B or above (or a 3.0 grade point average) for the last two semesters or trimesters.
3. Specific academic ability. The same idea in one subject: advanced state test scores in English language arts or math for two years in a row, plus B or better grades.

The district’s page still names the California Standards Test (CST) for the achievement categories. California replaced the CST with the CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress) years ago, so ask the GATE office which scores it uses now.

Any student can also be referred for screening or testing by a teacher, counselor, parent, or the student. The GATE Referral form asks for two years of standardized test scores and recent report card grades.

If your child qualifies, you must also sign a Parent Permission to Place form and send it to the GATE Department. The district has not published testing dates or when results go home.

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.

What GATE gives your child in Moreno Valley Unified

The district describes GATE services by grade:

1. Grades 3 to 5: students are served in the regular classroom.
2. Grades 6 to 8: students are served in the regular classroom.
3. Grades 9 to 12: students at comprehensive high schools take Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) classes.

The district says teachers of GATE students adjust core lessons for more depth and complexity, and may speed up or compact the material. In plain terms: MVUSD does not publish separate GATE classes or a GATE school. Identification mainly shapes how your child is taught inside a regular classroom.

What 2nd graders should expect from the NNAT®

The NNAT® asks children to reason through abstract visual puzzles. Instead of reading a question, the child studies shapes, colors, positions, rotations, and patterns, then chooses the answer that follows the rule.

That is why the format matters. A child can be very capable and still feel thrown by the page if they have never seen this kind of visual reasoning before.

Elementary schools in Moreno Valley Unified

In most districts, a gifted-screening window applies across the district, while each school handles practical details inside that window. For Moreno Valley families, the school office is especially important because the parent Permission to Test form controls whether a 2nd grader is included.

Moreno Valley Unified elementary schools include:

• Armada Elementary
• Bear Valley Elementary
• Box Springs Elementary
• Butterfield Language Academy
• Chaparral Hills Elementary
• Cloverdale Elementary
• Creekside Elementary
• Edgemont Elementary
• Hendrick Ranch Elementary
• Hidden Springs Elementary
• Honey Hollow Elementary
• La Jolla Elementary
• Midland Elementary
• Moreno Elementary
• North Ridge Elementary
• Ramona Elementary
• Ridge Crest Elementary
• Seneca Elementary
• Serrano Elementary
• Sugar Hill Elementary
• Sunnymead Elementary
• Sunnymeadows Elementary
• TownGate Elementary

Questions Moreno Valley parents should ask

1. When is the Permission to Test form due for my child’s class?
2. Where do I get the form, and how will I know it was received?
3. What date is our school giving the NNAT3, and what is the make-up date?
4. When will results be sent home?
5. What will GATE look like in my child’s classroom in 3rd grade?
6. Which state test scores does the district use now for the achievement categories?
7. If my child does not qualify this year, how does the GATE Referral form work?

How to prepare effectively for the NNAT

Short, steady practice works better than cramming. 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. A simple plan:

1. Learn the format with explanations. Start with the four NNAT® question types. After each question, talk through the rule: what changed, what stayed the same, and why the right answer fits. For example, “the shape turned a quarter turn” or “the pattern keeps going behind the missing window.” 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. Notice which type your child misses most and give it a little more practice. 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.

Before any of that, make sure the Permission to Test form is turned in on time. Without it, your 2nd grader will not be tested.