[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 80 (Friday, April 25, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20160-20161]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-10707]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


National Assessment Governing Board; Meeting

AGENCY: National Assessment Governing Board; Education.

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 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

[[Page 20161]]

general public of their opportunity to attend..

Dates: May 8-10, 1997.
Times: May 8--Subject Area Committee #2, 3:30--5:00 P.M. (closed), 
3:00--3:30 P.M., (open); Achievement Levels Committee, 3:00--5:00 P.M., 
(open); Executive Committee, 5:00--6:30 P.M. (open), 6:30--7:00 P.M. 
(closed). May 9--Full Board, 8:00 A.M.--10:00 A.M. (open); Subject Area 
Committees #1 and #2 in joint session, 10:00 A.M.--12:00 Noon, (open); 
Design and Methodology 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--4:00 P.M., (open). May 10--Full Board, 9:00 A.M. 
until adjournment, approximately 12:00 Noon (open).
    Location: The Madison Hotel, 15th and M Streets, NW, Washington, 
D.C.

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.

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 May 8, Subject Area Committee #2 and the Executive Committee 
will meet in partially closed session. Subject Area Committee #2 
will meet in closed session from 3:30--5:00 P.M. to review items, 
scoring criteria, and sample responses from the 1997 NAEP writing field 
test. 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, 3:00--3:30 P.M., the Committee will 
review plans for upcoming assessments and item review sessions in 
preparation for the 1998 NAEP cycle.
    the Executive Committee will meet in closed session from 6:30--7:00 
P.M. to discuss the development of cost estimates for NAEP and future 
contract initiatives. 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. In the open session from 5:00--6:30 P.M., the 
Executive Committee will hear the results of a customer survey of NAEP 
users; discuss the status of NAGB committee redesign assignments; and 
hear a report on NAEP secondary analysis.
    Also, on May 8, from 3 to 5 p.m., there will be an open meeting of 
the Achievement Levels Committee. The Committee will hear a briefing on 
the evaluation being conducted by the National Academy of Sciences, and 
preview the work for the setting of achievement levels for civics and 
writing.
    On May 9, the full Board will convene in open session at 8 a.m. The 
agenda for this session of the full Board meeting includes approval of 
the agenda, the Executive Director's Report, a presentation on 
President Clinton's Initiative on Voluntary Tests, and an update on the 
NAEP project. Between 10 a.m. and 12 noon, there will be open meetings 
of the following subcommittees: Design and Methodology, Reporting and 
Dissemination, and a joint meeting of Subject Area Committees #1 and 
#2. The Design and Methodology Committee will review and discuss the 
draft policy prepared for a short-form NAEP, and hear a briefing on 
plans for a NAEP Validity Studies Panel. Agenda items for the Reporting 
and Dissemination Committee include consideration of definitions of 
NAEP Reports: Comprehensive, Standard, Focused, and Market-Basket; 
review and discuss plans for NAEP Week; and hear presentations on 
various report release plans. The Joint Subject Area Committees #1 and 
#2 will discuss progress on their NAEP redesign topics. These topics 
include the draft framework policy, state options for NAEP, and results 
of the NCES/NAEP Constituent Survey.
    The full Board will reconvene in open session at 12 p.m. to hear a 
briefing on the 1996 NAEP Science Report, have a presentation on and 
discussion of the reading and math initiatives, and to continue 
discussion on NAEP Redesign.
    On May 10, the full Board will meet in open session from 9 a.m. 
until adjournment at approximately 12 noon. The Board will hear a 
presentation on the National Academy of Education's Report, Assessment 
in Transition: Monitoring the Nation's Educational Progress. The Board 
will then hear reports from its various committees.
    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 section 5 U.S.C. 552b, 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, DC, from 
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Roy Truby,
Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board.
[FR Doc. 97-10707 Filed 4-24-97; 8:45 am]
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