Shaker Heights City School District gifted screening and NNAT® guide.

Shaker Heights City School District offers formal gifted services in grades 2 through 10 for students identified in superior cognitive ability, creative thinking, reading/writing, and math. The NNAT® is the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, a visual reasoning test that uses shapes and patterns instead of reading or math questions. Shaker uses the third edition, the NNAT3.

What Shaker Heights says about gifted screening

Students in grades 2 and 5 take part in whole-grade screening for superior cognitive ability using the NNAT3. The district also uses the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking for creative-thinking ability, and MAP Growth, which students in grades 2-8 already take, to screen for reading and math. A child needs to meet the identification score on only one of these assessments to be identified.

Shaker's published criteria sheet lists an NNAT3 identification score of 126 for grades K-4 (Levels A-D). A score of 118 on any superior cognitive ability instrument is the screening point for further assessment, so a child who comes close is not simply dropped. For creative thinking, the first step is an ability score of 110 on the NNAT3 (grades K-4), then the 95th percentile on the Torrance.

Parents can opt out of any assessment by contacting the building principal. Students with an IEP or 504 plan can use their testing accommodations if the test allows them; if not, the district uses a comparable approved test.

Why the 90-day referral rule matters

You do not have to wait for the next whole-grade screening. Shaker says a parent can refer a child using the Gifted Referral Form, given to the building principal, and that the district must conduct the initial assessment within 90 days of receiving it. That helps a child who missed the 2nd grade screen or is new to the district. Shaker also accepts results from other districts or trained outside examiners.

Once a child is identified, the identification stays for the rest of their Shaker career. There is no annual re-qualifying.

Questions Shaker Heights parents should ask

1. When is the 2nd grade NNAT3 screening scheduled this year?
2. How will we be told the result, and how soon after testing?
3. If my child scores between 118 and 125, what further assessment happens next?
4. How do I submit the Gifted Referral Form, and who confirms it was received?
5. What does gifted service look like in my child's classroom next year?
6. Can my child use their IEP or 504 accommodations on the NNAT3?

Our broader questions to ask your school guide can help you turn those into one clear conversation with the principal or Gifted Coordinator.

How to prepare without adding pressure

Because the district does not publish its screening date, start early and keep it light. A few weeks of calm, regular practice is better than a rush once a date is announced.

Keep it short and steady: 10 to 15 minutes a day is plenty for a young child. Focus on format familiarity first. Show your child the kinds of visual puzzles the NNAT® uses, then talk through the reasoning after each one rather than just marking it right or wrong. 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.

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