[Federal Register: November 10, 1997 (Volume 62, Number 217)]
[Notices]
[Page 60488-60489]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10no97-33]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Assessment Governing Board; Meeting
AGENCY: National Assessment Governing Board, Education.
ACTION: Notice of closed and partially closed meetings.
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SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a
forthcoming meeting of the National Assessment Governing Board. This
notice also describes the functions of the Board. Notice of this
meeting is required under Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act. This document is intended to notify the general public
of their opportunity to attend.
DATES: November 20-22, 1997.
TIME: November 20--Joint Meeting of Subject Area Committees #1 and #2,
2:00-3:00 p.m., (open); Design and Methodology Committee, 2:00-5:00
p.m., (closed), Subject Area Committee #2, 3:00-5:00 p.m., (open); and
Executive Committee, 5:00-6:00 p.m., (open), 6:00-7:00 p.m., (closed).
November 21--Full Board, 8:30-10:00 a.m., (open; Subject Area
Committees #1, 10:15 a.m.-12:00 Noon, (open); Achievement Levels
Committee 10:00 a.m.-12:00 Noon, (open); Reporting and Dissemination
Committee, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 Noon, (open); Full Board, 12:00 noon-5:00
p.m., (open). November 22--Nominations Committee, 8:00-9:00 a.m.
(open); Full Board, 9:00 a.m. until adjournment, approximately 12:00
Noon, (open).
LOCATION: Ritz Carlton Hotel, Pentagon City, 1250 South Hayes Street,
Arlington, Virginia.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mary Ann Wilmer, Operations Officer, National Assessment Governing
Board, Suite 825, 800 North Capitol Street, NW., Washington, DC 20002-
4233, Telephone: (202) 357-6938.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Assessment Governing Board is
established under section 412 of the National Education Statistics Act
of 1994 (Title IV of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994) (Pub.
L. 103-382).
The Board is established to formulate policy guidelines for the
National Assessment of Educational Progress. The Board is responsible
for selecting subject areas to be assessed, developing assessment
objectives, identifying appropriate achievement goals for each grade
and subject tested, and establishing standards and procedures for
interstate and national comparisons.
On Thursday, November 20, 1997, there will be meeting of four
committees of the Governing Board. Subject Area Committees #1 and #2
will meet in joint session from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. to receive an update
on the 1998 assessments in reading, writing, and civics.
The Design and Methodology Committee will meet in closed session
from 2:00-5:00 p.m. to review the unreleased NAEP procurement documents
which contain contract specifications and government cost estimates for
the purpose of determining the appropriateness of their alignment with
the NAGB redesign policy. This meeting must be conducted in closed
session because the information presented for review would be likely to
significantly frustrate implementation of a proposed agency action.
Such matters are protected by exemption (9)B of section 552b(c) of
Title 5 U.S.C.
The Subject Area Committee #2 will meet in open session from 3:00-
5:00 p.m. The Committee will be briefed on the North Carolina/NAEP Math
Content Analysis project, and discuss issues related to NAEP redesign.
The Executive Committee will meet on November 20 from 5:00 to 6:00
p.m. in open session. In the open session from 5:00-6:00 p.m., the
Executive Committee will be briefed by staff on the following items:
NAEP and the Voluntary National Tests initiative, the status of the
grant program for secondary analysis of the NAEP data, and NAEP
redesign issues.
Then the Executive Committee will meet in closed session from 6:00
to 7:00 p.m. and the Committee will discuss the development of cost
estimates for NAEP and future contract initiatives. This portion of the
meeting must be conducted in closed session because public disclosure
of this information would likely have an adverse financial effect on
the NAEP program. The discussion of this information would be likely to
significantly frustrate implementation of a proposed agency action if
conducted in open session. Such matters are protected by exemption 9(B)
of Section 552b(c) of Title 5 U.S.C.
Also, during the same closed session, the Committee will discuss
the qualifications of individuals to serve as Vice-Chair of the
Governing Board. The Committee will formulate a recommendation for
action by the full Board. The discussion would disclose information of
a personal nature where disclosure would constitute a clearly
unwarranted invasion of personal privacy if conducted in open session.
Such matters are protected by exemptions (2) and (6) of Section 552b(c)
of Title 5 U.S.C.
On November 21, the full Board will convene in open session
beginning at 8:30 a.m. The agenda for this session of the full Board
meeting includes approval of the agenda, introduction of new members,
and election of the NAGB Vice-Chair. Also, the morning agenda will
include a report from the Executive Director, administration of the
oath of office to new members and remarks by the Secretary of
Education. This session will conclude with an update on the NAEP
project.
Between 10:15 a.m. and 12:00 noon, there will be open meetings of
the following subcommittees: Achievement Levels, Reporting and
Dissemination, and Subject Area Committee #1. The Achievement Levels
Committee will discuss the calendar for the upcoming levels setting
process and consider policy issues for 1998.
Agenda items for the Reporting and Dissemination Committee include
plans for release and schedule of future NAEP reports; plans for the
development of a NAEP Resource Kit; and plans for reporting district-
level results from existing state samples.
There will be two discussion items on the Subject Area Committee #1
agenda: (1) issues related to the preparation of an RFP for a foreign
language assessment, and (2) issues related to the NAEP redesign.
The full Board will reconvene at 12:00 noon. The agenda items
during this period include: a briefing on the 1996 Science Achievement
Levels Report, a presentation on Redesign Issues, and a presentation on
NAEP activities from framework development to reporting of the
assessment results. The Board recess is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
On Saturday, November 22, the Nominations Committee will meet in
open session from 8:00-9:00 a.m. to
[[Page 60489]]
review procedures to be used for the solicitation of the names of
individuals to succeed Board members whose terms expire September 30,
1998. The expiring terms are in the following categories: general
public, elementary school principal, secondary school principal,
fourth-grade classroom teacher, state legislator (Democrat) Chief State
School Officer, Governor (Democrat), Governor (Republican), and eighth
grade classroom teacher.
The full Board will meet in open session from 9:00 a.m. until
adjournment, approximately 12:00 noon. The agenda for this session is
the presentation of reports from the various Board committee meetings.
A summary of the activities of the closed and partially closed
sessions and other related matters which are informative to the public
and consistent with the policy of the section 5 U.S.C. 552b(c), will be
available to the public within 14 days after the meeting. Records are
kept of all Board proceedings and are available for public inspection
at the U.S. Department of Education, National Assessment Governing
Board, Suite #825, 800 North Capitol Street, NW, Washington, D.C., from
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Dated: November 4, 1997.
Roy Truby,
Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board.
[FR Doc. 97-29520 Filed 11-7-97; 8:45 am]
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