Don't worry - my older child scored lower than expected on the NNAT but blew it out of the water on the Cogat and loves AAP.

Thanks everyone for your replies! I sent her teacher a note just wanting to make sure there's nothing else going on which I am 99% sure there isn't. DD got all 3s and 4s on her report card a few weeks ago and I have spent enough time with her to know she is bright and capable but just want to make sure I'm not missing something. Anyway, thanks again for the advise and for the sounding board

OP,

I know two different people, two different kids who scored in the 1st percentile and in the 5th percentile. Now, if I saw that on a score sheet, I'd be freaking out a little too.... but I know both of these kids. They are totally normal kids. They might not be geniuses, but they are getting along just fine. One just made straight As (7th grade) for the second semester. The other is a totally normal boy, no learning disabilities, (3rd grade).

I don't know why their scores were so low. I suspect that they either didn't "get" what they were supposed to do, and/or they didn't complete a lot of the questions (maybe they were thinking about one question and just never moved away from it). Anyway, it's disconcerting to see a very low score, but it really does NOT mean anything in terms of mental fitness. Your child probably isn't going to AAP, but still can be an "A" student (or "B" student or just a normal, successful person).

Please don't stress and assume there is something wrong with your child. They just didn't "get" the NNAT stuff.

My DD's score was shockingly low a couple years ago, and it raised red flags for me, too (AAP also was not the concern). We had her evaluated, and she was diagnosed with ADD and dyslexia. I am NOT saying you should freak out at the score alone--we had other signals, such as extreme disorganization and some social issues--but if you think anything else is going on, it might not be a bad idea to talk to your pediatrician.

Did they have a time limit last year? I remember my kid came home stating that he missed a whole page but the time was up (well, a whole page may have only 2-3 questions).

If the child is doing well in school, that is what counts, not some assessment test that has nothing to do with school work.

Given that, this NNAT was given to the kids and they had to answer almost 50 questions in 30 minutes. Nobody knows if these kids were calm before the test, if there were distractions, or if the kids were interrupted. I've heard of situations where testing was interrupted and kids had to finish at a later time.

Previously, kids were not assessed a time limit when taking these tests.

The best place to start is by asking your teacher is s/he has any concerns about your child's classroom performance. You would probably have already heard if there is a problem, so if I were you, I wouldn't worry until if or when you need to. If this was a total shock, then it's probably an anamoly that you don't need to be concerned about. The important thing is that she is performing well in school academically and socially. If you've had no concerns thus far on those fronts, a low score on the NNAT is probably nothing to be worried about. Good luck!

Anonymous wrote:I don't care if my DD gets into AAP I am just in shock at how low her scores were! She seems average to me, maybe a bit above in certain areas and maybe a bit below in others but overall an average kid. Her scores worry me though and not sure what to do! I already tried emailing the AAP teacher as indicated on the letter but his mailbox was full so I'm pretty sure I won't get the time of day any time soon with him. Do I contact the principal? Do I get her retested? I just don't want her labeled that way! Really don't know what to do!

You can ask for a test again in the fall, if you wish. But the scores are not used in any way except for pool-eligibility. Many questions on the nnat are similar so a child who doesn't think in that way, may score poorly but it has nothing to do with anticipated school performances....

I don't care if my DD gets into AAP I am just in shock at how low her scores were! She seems average to me, maybe a bit above in certain areas and maybe a bit below in others but overall an average kid. Her scores worry me though and not sure what to do! I already tried emailing the AAP teacher as indicated on the letter but his mailbox was full so I'm pretty sure I won't get the time of day any time soon with him. Do I contact the principal? Do I get her retested? I just don't want her labeled that way! Really don't know what to do!