Northshore School District Highly Capable screening and NNAT® guide.

Highly Capable is Washington’s term for gifted education services. NNAT® stands for Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, a visual reasoning assessment that uses shapes and patterns instead of reading passages, vocabulary, or math computation.

For a fuller overview of the assessment itself, see our guide to what the NNAT® measures.

How Northshore’s process works for a 2nd grader

Northshore uses three steps. For a 2nd grader, nothing starts automatically:

1. Referral: a parent, teacher, relative, or community member fills out the Referral and Permission Form. In 2025-2026 the referral window closed October 10.
2. Screening: the district reviews data it already has and may give a Naglieri screener (the NNAT3 or the NGAT). To move on, a 2nd grader needs at least one of: the 85th percentile or higher on the screener, the 85th percentile or higher on i-Ready, or current Highly Capable services in math or reading.
3. Assessment: with parent permission, the student takes the Iowa Assessments in reading and math, one grade level above their current grade. A 2nd or 3rd grader qualifies with the 95th percentile or higher on one or more content areas of the Iowa.

The district says the NNAT3 alone will not qualify or disqualify a student. It is a gate to the Iowa Assessments, which measure reading and math achievement. Northshore also says it uses no quotas.

For a parent-friendly overview of the visual reasoning format, see our guide to the four NNAT® question types.

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 Highly Capable gives your child in Northshore

1. Elementary (2nd to 5th grade): depending on the school, an integrated Highly Capable cluster in a general classroom, in-class differentiation, or HiCap math given above grade level (by rotation, walk-to class, or an online program).
2. Elementary Advanced Program (EAP): for students qualified in both reading and math, a self-contained class or integrated cluster working 1 to 2 grade levels ahead. Some neighborhood schools send EAP students to another site; the district lists each school’s 2026-2027 site. Families do not have to change schools to get services.
3. Middle school: the Advanced Academic Program (AAP) at every middle school, with AAP English, social studies, and science and math placed by ability. The district is piloting a new science and social studies approach in 2026-2027.

Students who already qualify do not need to retest to keep their qualification.

Elementary schools in Northshore School District

In most districts, a gifted-screening window applies across the district, while each school handles practical details inside that window.

Northshore elementary schools include:

• Arrowhead Elementary
• Canyon Creek Elementary
• Cottage Lake Elementary
• Crystal Springs Elementary
• East Ridge Elementary
• Fernwood Elementary
• Frank Love Elementary
• Hollywood Hill Elementary
• Kenmore Elementary
• Kokanee Elementary
• Lockwood Elementary
• Maywood Hills Elementary
• Moorlands Elementary
• Ruby Bridges Elementary
• Shelton View Elementary
• Sunrise Elementary
• Wellington Elementary
• Westhill Elementary
• Woodin Elementary
• Woodmoor Elementary

Questions Northshore parents should ask

1. When does the 2026-2027 referral window close for 2nd graders?
2. Which Naglieri screener will my child take this year, and on what date?
3. When is the parent permission deadline for the Iowa Assessments?
4. What are the Iowa testing dates at our school, and when are makeups?
5. What service model and site would my child get at our neighborhood school if they qualify?
6. When are the appeal and portfolio review deadlines?

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

1. Learn the format. Go through each of the four NNAT® question types, and after every question talk through the rule: what changed and what stayed the same, not just which answer is right. 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. Keep reading and math strong. Students who pass the screener take the Iowa Assessments in reading and math one grade level up, so everyday reading and math practice matters too.
5. 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 gives them ways to approach and think through them, so test day feels familiar instead of surprising.