[Notices]
[Page 19477-19478]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20ap98-58]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Assessment Governing Board; Meeting
AGENCY: National Assessment Governing Board; Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of partially closed meeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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: May 7-9, 1998.
TIME: May 7--Design and Methodology Committee, 9:00-11:30 a.m., (open);
Joint Meeting Design and Methodology and Reporting and Dissemination
Committees, 11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m., (open); Subject Area Committee #2,
2:00-4:00 p.m., (open), Executive Committee, 4:00-6:00 p.m., (open) May
8--Full Board, 8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m., (open); Subject Area Committee #1,
10:00-10:30 a.m. (closed), 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m., (open); Reporting and
Dissemination Committee, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., (open); Achievement
Levels Committee, 10:00-11:00 a.m., (open); Design and Methodology
Committee, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., (open); Full Board, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
(closed), 1:30-4:00 p.m., (open). May 9--Full Board, 8:00-11:30 a.m.,
(open), 11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (closed); adjournment, 12:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Crystal Gateway Marriott, 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway,
Arlington, Virginia.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mary Ann Wilmer, Operations Officer, National Assessment Governing
Board, Suite 825, 800 North Capitol Street, NW, Washington, D.C.,
20002-4233, Telephone: (202) 357-6938.
[[Page 19478]]
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. Under P.L. 105-78, the National
Assessment Governing Board is also granted exclusive authority over
developing the Voluntary National Tests pursuant to contract number
RJ97153001.
On May 7, the Design and Methodology Committee will meet in open
session from 9:00-11:30 a.m. The Committee will be reviewing the plan
for research studies on the Voluntary National Tests, and the pilot
test design.
From 11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. the Design and Methodology and Reporting
and Dissemination Committees will meet jointly in open session. The
Committees will be reviewing the work plan for accommodations and
adaptations on the Voluntary National Tests. There will be an open
meeting of Subject Area Committee #2 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. The agenda for
this meeting includes review of math issues and timeliness for the
Voluntary National Tests, and an update on 1998 NAEP assessment in
civics.
Also on May 7, the Executive Committee will meet in open session
from 4:00-6:00 p.m. The Executive Committee will receive updates on
Voluntary National Tests activities and decisions on the Voluntary
National Tests contract. Also, the Committee will hear updates on
reauthorization and NAEP redesign activities. The Committee will begin
discussion on augmenting the schedule of NAEP assessments to include
grade 4 reading in the year 2000.
On May 8, the full Board will convene in open session from 8:30-
10:00 a.m. In addition to a report from the Executive Director of the
National Assessment Governing Board, and an update on NAEP activities,
the agenda for this session of the meeting includes the release of the
NAEP--TIMSS Linking Report on 8th Grade Mathematics and Science.
Beginning at 10:00 a.m. there will be meetings of the standing
committees. Subject Area Committee #1 will meet in partially closed
session. From 10:00-10:30 a.m., the meeting will be closed to permit
the Committee to review proposed items for the Voluntary National Test
in reading. This portion of the meeting must be closed because
references will be made to specific items from the assessment and
premature disclosure of 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.
In open session, 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m., the Committee will review
Voluntary National Test reading issues and timelines. Also, the
Committee will receive an update on the 1998 NAEP assessment in reading
and writing.
The Reporting and Dissemination Committee will meet from 10:00
a.m.-12:00 p.m. The Committee will be considering the schedule and
plans for the release of NAEP reports; reporting district-level results
from existing state samples; and work plans for reporting and
utilization of the results for the Voluntary National Tests.
There will be open meetings of the Achievement Levels Committee and
the Design and Methodology Committee. The Achievement Levels Committee
will meet from 10:00-11:00 a.m. to prepare recommendations to the Board
on the preliminary achievement levels descriptions for NAEP. The
Committee will receive a briefing on the status of the 1998 achievement
levels setting activities. The Committee will discuss the achievement
levels issues on the Voluntary National Tests, such as reliable
classification of individual student performance.
The Design and Methodology Committee will meet from 11:00 a.m.-
12:00 p.m. to review the plans for research studies on the Voluntary
National Tests, and the pilot test design.
The Full Board will reconvene in partially closed session from
12:00-4:00 p.m. The meeting will be closed to the public from 12:00-
1:30 p.m. for the Board to hear a presentation on the results of the
NAEP Instructional Reports for Mathematics and Science. This portion of
the meeting must be closed because references may be made to data,
which may be misinterpreted, incorrect, or incomplete. Such matters are
protected by exemption 9(B) of Section 552b(c) of Title 5 U.S.C. The
agenda for the open portion of this session of the Full Board meeting
includes an update on work plans for the Voluntary National Tests and
comments about the NAEP and the Voluntary National Tests by
representatives of the National Alliance of Business.
On May 9, the Full Board will meet in partially closed session. In
open session, from 8:00-11:30 a.m., the Board will receive a briefing
on the Mathematics Content Analysis Project; hear a presentation from
ACHIEVE, Inc. on the work being conducted in Benchmarking, and be given
reports from the NAGB standing committees. The Board will meet in
closed session from 11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. to receive the report from
the Nominations Committee regarding recommendations to submit to the
Secretary of Education for Board appointments in the following
categories: general public, secondary school principal, elementary
school principal, eighth grade teacher, fourth grade teacher, chief
state school officer, and state legislator (Democrat). This session
must be closed because the Board will be considering qualifications of
nominees for appointment to Board membership. The review and subsequent
discussion of this information will touch upon matters that relate
solely to the internal rules and practices of an agency and 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.
Summaries of the activities of the closed sessions and related
matters, which are informative to the public and consistent with the
policy of section 5 U.S.C. 552b(c), will be available to the public
within 14 days of 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, DC, from 8:30 a.m. to
5:00 p.m.
Dated: April 15, 1998.
Roy Truby,
Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board.
[FR Doc. 98-10298 Filed 4-17-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-M