Palm Beach County gifted screening and NNAT® guide.

The School District of Palm Beach County runs a Gifted Education Program under Florida's gifted rules. The NNAT® is the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, a visual reasoning test that uses shapes and patterns instead of reading, vocabulary, or math facts. Palm Beach uses the third edition, the NNAT3.

This guide is for families across Palm Beach County who want to understand how the 2nd grade screener connects to the IQ test that actually decides gifted eligibility.

Screening is step one, not the decision

Florida eligibility for gifted services is decided by an individually administered IQ test, not by a group screener. In Palm Beach County, the NNAT3 helps build a pool of students to look at more closely. Students can also be referred by a parent or guardian, a teacher or staff member, the student, or anyone who knows the student. Referrals go through the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Contact at your child's school.

The district's state-filed policies say a student considered under Plan A must first score 120 or higher on a standardized IQ screening measure and meet two or more screening criteria (such as A or B grades, very rapid learning, teacher nominations, or parent reports of advanced development) before moving on to a full evaluation. The district does not publish what NNAT3 score, if any, triggers that next step.

Plan A and Plan B

Plan A requires an IQ score of 130 or higher (two standard deviations above the mean) on an individual IQ test, plus a majority of gifted characteristics on a grade-specific checklist completed by a Florida licensed educator.

Plan B is for underrepresented students, defined as English language learners and students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. These students need an IQ score of 112 or higher and at least 20 points on the district's Plan B matrix, which scores the IQ test, individual achievement testing in reading and math, classroom performance, a gifted checklist for underrepresented populations, and a student portfolio.

The individual IQ test is chosen by the school psychologist; the district lists instruments such as the WISC-V, RIAS-2, DAS-II, KABC-II, UNIT-2, and Leiter-2. Eligible students get an Educational Plan (EP). Services are delivered in a part-time resource room or a full-time Gifted Center, and students at schools without a Gifted Center can transfer to their assigned center.

Questions Palm Beach County parents should ask

1. When will 2nd graders take the NNAT3 screener at our school this year?
2. What happens after the screener, and what score leads to an IQ evaluation?
3. Does my child qualify to be considered under Plan B?
4. How do I make a parent referral, and how long does evaluation take?
5. Does our school have a Gifted Center or a resource room?
6. Who is our school's ESE Contact?

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

How to prepare without adding pressure

Familiarity with the NNAT3 format can help a 2nd grader feel calm on screening day, even though the screener is only the first step. Keep it short and steady: 10 to 15 minutes a day is plenty. Start with format familiarity by showing your child the kinds of visual puzzles the NNAT® uses, and talk through the reasoning after each question rather than just marking it right or wrong.

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