[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 169 (Thursday, August 29, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45414-45415]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-21993]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Advisory Council on Education Statistics; Partially Closed 
Meeting

AGENCY: Advisory Council on Education Statistics, ED.

ACTION: Notice of Partially Closed Meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a 
forthcoming meeting of the Advisory Council on Education Statistics 
(ACES). 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 the open portions of 
the meeting.

DATES: September 11-13, 1996.

TIMES: September 11--Full Council, 1:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (open); 
September 12--Management Committee, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (closed from 
1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.); Statistics Committee, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., 
(open); Strategy/Policy Committee, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., (open); 
September 13--Full Council, 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. (closed) and 9:30 a.m.-
1:00 p.m. (open).

LOCATION: 80 F Street, NW., Room 100, Washington, DC 20208-7575. The 
Committee meetings will take place in the following locations: 
Management-Room 326a; Strategy/Policy-Room 326b; Statistics-Room 322.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Barbara Marenus, National Center for Education Statistics, 555 New 
Jersey Ave, NW., Room 400j, Washington, DC 20208-5530. Telephone: (202) 
219-1828.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Advisory Council on Education Statistics 
(ACES) is established under Section 406(c)(1) of the Education 
Amendments of 1974, Pub. L. 93-380. The Council is established to 
review general policies for the operation of the National Center for 
Education Statistics (NCES) in the Office of Educational Research and 
Improvement and is responsible for advising on standards to insure that 
statistics and analyses disseminated by NCES are of high

[[Page 45415]]

quality and are not subject to political influence. In addition, ACES 
is required to advise the Commissioner of NCES and the National 
Assessment Governing Board on technical and statistical matters related 
to the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP).
    The proposed agenda includes the following:
     Discussion of NCES's next steps in implementing the 
redesign of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
     An update and discussion on the Third International 
Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
     Individual meetings of the three ACES committees which 
will focus on specific topics. The agenda for the Management Committee 
includes a report on the preliminary findings from NCES's customer 
survey and related customer service activities. In addition there will 
be discussions of a design feasibility grant competition to solicit 
ideas on a redesigned NAEP. If these portions of the meeting were held 
in open session, the possible disclosure of the Department's position 
might affect decisions by third parties outside the Government. These 
discussions would be likely to significantly frustrate implementation 
of a proposed agency action if conducted in open session. These 
portions of the meeting will be closed under the authority of Section 
10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463; 5 U.S.C. 
Appendix 2) and under exemption (9)(B) of Section 522b(c) of Title 5 
U.S.C.
    The agenda for the Statistics Committee includes issues surrounding 
background variables in NAEP, and the potential for linking data from 
the TIMSS and NAEP. The agenda for the Strategy/Policy Committee 
includes review of a draft strategic plan for NAEP and the use of 
criteria for decisionmaking on the NCES budget.
    A summary of the activities of the closed sessions and related 
matters which are informative to the public consistent with the policy 
of Title 5 U.S.C. 551b(c) will be available within 14 days of the 
meeting. Records are kept of all Council proceedings and are available 
for public inspection at the Office of the Executive Director, Advisory 
Council on Education Statistics, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., Room 400J, 
Washington, DC 20208-7575.
Sharon P. Robinson,
Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 96-21993 Filed 8-28-96; 8:45 am]
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