Agenda Item
d. Testing Assessments, Licenses, and Materials for Gifted Education (Not to Exceed $905,000)
Summary: Presented by: Mrs. Kiana King, Interim Chief of Student Services, Division of Student Services
Request: It is requested that the DeKalb County Board of Education approve the purchase of assessments, licenses, and materials for the gifted identification process from Riverside Insights, Scholastic Testing Services and NCS Pearson in an amount not to exceed $905,000.
Why: In compliance with the Georgia Department of Education SBOE Rule 160-4-2-.38 Education Programs for Gifted Students Evaluation and Eligibility, the use of state approved assessments in DeKalb County School District’s gifted identification process will increase the number of students considered for gifted services thus closing the gap of the underrepresentation of minority, Special Education, English Learners, and/or low socio-economic groups for placement in state funded programs.
Details: The DeKalb County School District will purchase assessments, licenses, and materials to support the academic success of students served through the Division of Student Services in accordance to Board Policy DJE (III.D.3.g).
Financial impact: The total financial impact for SY2026-2027 is not to exceed the amount of $905,000.00. General funds will be used to purchase these resources.
Charge code:
100.2213.553200.00011.7340.2021.8010.094.0000
Contact: Presented by: Mrs. Kiana King, Interim Chief of Student Services, Division of Student Services, (678) 676-0418
Mrs. Emmika Atkinson, Senior Coordinator for Gifted Education
Mrs. Kristen Drake, Senior Coordinator for Gifted Education
Effective: Upon Board Approval
Status: Approved by the Office of Legal Affairs
Pearson Overview and Data Usage
Pearson is one of the world's largest education and assessment companies. It provides digital content, textbooks,
standardized testing, and online learning platforms for schools, universities, and professionals across the globe.
In the 2024–25 school year, DeKalb County School District broadened its gifted referral process by offering
additional ‘at bats’ for underrepresented students to be considered for gifted screening with the goal of improving
fair access to gifted eligibility testing in the mental ability domain by administering the NNAT (Naglieri Nonverbal
Ability Test) a standardized, culturally neutral cognitive assessment used by schools to evaluate students' reasoning
and problem-solving skills without relying on language. The online assessment contains 48 multiple-choice
questions grouped into four core categories:
• Pattern Completion: Identifying the missing piece that completes a larger design.
• Reasoning by Analogy: Recognizing the relationship between shapes and applying that logic to a new set
of figures.
• Serial Reasoning: Finding a pattern or rule across a sequence of shapes.
• Spatial Visualization: Figuring out how shapes combine or how a 2D figure looks when folded into a 3D
object.
Data Usage