Identification of Gifted Students

All school districts in the state of Arizona offer testing to identify gifted students. State law mandates that students who score at the 97th percentile or higher on a state approved test must be offered gifted services, however, districts may choose to admit students with lower scores. Check with your local school district for specific admittance requirements.

One of the most commonly administered test is the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). This test assesses students’ abilities in reasoning and problem solving using verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal (spatial) symbols.  This is unlike an acheivement  test that assesses what a student has learned.

Another commonly used test is the Naglieri Nonverbal Abilities Test (NNAT). This test is a language-free measurement of students' reasoning abilities.  Nonverbal tests are often used to determine the gifted potential of English language learners or students with language and/or reading disabilities.