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Flagler School District recommends NNAT universal screener for earlier gifted identification
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Summary
District staff proposed adding a universal screening process (recommended: NNAT nonverbal screener) starting in second grade to identify students at the 90th percentile for gifted evaluation; estimated digital NNAT cost presented as $11,265 over five years and a purchase order will come as a financial item later.
District staff told the Flagler School Board at its workshop that they plan to add a standardized universal screener to the current teacher- or parent-referral pathway for gifted identification. “We do a checklist. If the score falls within a specific range, evaluation is requested, and that is consent for evaluation by a school psychologist … to determine the student's IQ score,” Dr. Holliday said, describing the current referral and evaluation steps.
The district task force recommended the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT) as the screener because it is nonverbal, can be administered to groups and reduces language dependence. “The NNAT is nonverbal. So it helps with any age. Any language spoken because it's not words. It's pictures and patterns,” Mr. Reynolds said when the group explained tool selection.
Staff said the screener would initially focus on second grade (with analysis across grades 2–5) to capture students who may not otherwise be referred. The presenters said about 290 students across grades 2–5 currently sit at or above the 90th percentile on available measures, a cohort that could be reviewed by the screener. “That's about 8.4%,” Mr. Reynolds noted when the board asked for the percentage estimate.
Cost and next steps: staff presented a procurement path and cost comparisons. The NNAT digital option was shown as $11,265 (over five years); staff contrasted that with an OL_SAT option that would approach $30,000 over five years. The administration said a purchase order (PO) to acquire the selected screener will be brought to the board as part of financials for formal approval. “This whole process is right now for informational, once we get the PO submitted, that'll come back before you with the financials,” Superintendent Moore said.
Board members pressed for demographic and bias analysis and for clarity on service capacity if more students are identified. “We were gonna look at the pass rate of the screener to see … but then we'll also look at their demographics to see if there's anything that sticks out,” Dr. Holliday said about planned post-implementation monitoring. Board members asked for data on how many currently gifted-endorsed teachers the district has and how identified students would be serviced; staff said staffing and service-model decisions would be made as the district moves toward implementation and training.
The presentation was informational; no formal purchase vote occurred at the workshop. Staff said the PO and associated financial approval will appear on a future agenda, giving the board a later opportunity for action.
