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Woodland to pilot Naglieri screener for second graders to broaden access to advanced services
Summary
District leaders will add the Naglieri nonverbal screener for all second graders starting in February and intend to phase out the CogAT, aiming to reduce cultural and linguistic barriers and address underrepresentation of Black, Hispanic and English‑learner students in advanced programs.
Woodland CCSD 50 administrators told the board on Dec. 16 they will implement a universal Naglieri screener for second graders in February as part of a multi-pronged effort to revise gifted and advanced identification practices.
Dr. Elizabeth Sanchez Zappesi, who led the presentation on advanced-and-challenged services, cited a 2022 audit by the Northwestern University Center for Talent Development that found significant underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic students, English learners and students with IEPs in advanced programming.
To respond, the district’s committee recommended multiple indicators, universal screening and local norms. "We are going to implement, in February, a universal screener to all of our second grade students including those in special education," Dr. Sanchez Zappesi said, adding the district will pair the Naglieri with other data points and intends to discontinue the CogAT in the following year.
Dr. Sanchez Zappesi said the Naglieri is language-free and was vetted for cultural fairness in research cited during the presentation. She also discussed strengthening K–8 curriculum rigor, improving writing instruction, and expanding advanced language‑arts sections (Spanish added at middle school) to create a broader continuum of services.
Board members asked whether the revised process would allow non-test evidence (teacher rubrics, writing samples) to support identification; administrators said the committee is considering rubrics and earlier identification windows (moving some identification work from May to January) to collect multiple pieces of evidence.
Officials acknowledged potential staffing consequences if more students qualify and said they will monitor identification numbers and class-size impacts before requesting additional staff.
