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GATE Testing

Testing Procedures 

2024-25 Tentative GATE Timeline (PDF)

Please contact your school for information about GATE Parent Meetings held in the Fall. 

All 3rd graders are eligible for GATE testing.

Teacher or parent recommendation is required for 4th – 6th graders to qualify for testing. Please see your child’s teacher to request testing for your 4th, 5th, or 6th grader.  Keep in mind that to proceed with testing, students must meet the following guidelines:

  • If tested prior to this year in NMUSD, they must have scored at least in the 80th percentile.     

  • A student cannot take the test a 3rd time.

GATE testing takes place once a year during the month of January. Please see your child's teacher or principal for your school's test date. Final results will be mailed home at the end of May.

If you have any questions about testing or eligibility, please contact your school principal.

Please note that only current students enrolled in a NMUSD school are eligible for GATE testing. We do not test private school students.

GATE Test 

Beginning in the 2018-19 school year, the testing portion of the GATE identification process consists of the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT) online assessment. The assessment, along with a teacher inventory of gifted characteristics, standardized test scores, and district benchmarks are reviewed to qualify students for the NMUSD GATE Program. The NNAT yields a norm-based score helpful in identifying students with the potential for advanced scholastic achievement. This 30-minute, nonverbal test measures a student’s general ability without using language or prerequisite knowledge. In essence, it is assessing how students think, not what they know. The NNAT is not a test for which a student can study.

Contact Us

GATE operations and student placement differ slightly at each school site within NMUSD.

Please contact your GATE Coordinator or Principal for more information about your school's GATE program.

Visit the School Directory to find contact information for your school.

Lori Hernandez
Director of Teaching & Learning-Elementary

Tracey Nelson
Administrative Assistant
tnelson@nmusd.us

Danielle Zavala
Assessment Specialist
dzavala@nmusd.us