[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 33 (Thursday, February 19, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8443-8444]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-4154]


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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.

DATES: March 5-7, 1998.

TIME: March 5, Achievement Levels Committee, 2:00-4:00 p.m. (open); 
Subject Area Committee #1, 2:00-3:00 p.m. (open), 3:00-4:00 p.m. 
(closed); Executive Committee, 5:00-6:00 p.m. (open), 6:00-7:00 p.m. 
(closed). March 6, Full Board, 8:30-10:00 a.m. (open); Design and 
Methodology Committee 9:30-11:30 a.m. (open); Reporting and 
Dissemination Committee, 9:30-11:30 a.m. (open); Joint Meeting Subject 
Area Committee #1 and #2, 9:30-11:30 a.m. (open); Full Board 11:30-4:45 
p.m. (open). March 7, Nominations Committee, 7:30-9:00 a.m. (open); 
Full Board 9:00 a.m.-adjournment, approximately 12:00 noon, (open).

LOCATION: Four Seasons Olympic Hotel, 411 University Street, Seattle, 
Washington.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Ann Wilmer, Operations Officer, 
National Assessment Governing Board,

[[Page 8444]]

Suite 825, 800 North Capitol Street, N.W., 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. Under Public Law 105-78, the 
National Assessment Governing Board is also granted exclusive authority 
over developing Voluntary National Tests pursuant to contract number 
RJ97153001 and is required to review and modify the contract to the 
extent the Board determines necessary, if the contract cannot be 
modified to the extent the Board determines necessary, the contract 
shall be terminated and a new contract negotiated.
    On March 5, there will be an open meeting of the Achievement Levels 
Committee from 2:00-4:00 p.m. The Committee will be reviewing the 
proposed final achievement level descriptions for the 1998 civics and 
writing assessments. On the Voluntary National Tests, the Committee 
will examine some of the policy issues related to achievement levels in 
math and reading.
    Also on March 5, there will be two partially closed meetings: 
Subject Area Committee #1, and the Executive Committee. The Subject 
Area Committee will meet in open session, 2:00-3:00 p.m., to finalize 
plans for the report to the Full Board on the Voluntary National Tests 
specifications in 4th grade reading. In closed session, 3:00-4:00 p.m., 
the Committee will review the RFP for a NAEP Foreign Language 
Assessment. This portion of the meeting must be conducted in closed 
session because premature disclosure of the information presented for 
review might significantly frustrate a proposed agency action. Such 
matters are protected by exemption 9(B) of section 552b(c) of Title 5 
U.S.C.
    During the open portion of the Executive Committee, 5:00-6:00 p.m., 
there will be presentations on the following activities: Voluntary 
National Tests; Reauthorization; Secondary Analysis Grants; and NAEP 
Redesign. The Committee will then meet in closed session from 6:00-7:00 
p.m., to continue discussion of cost estimates for NAEP and future 
contract initiatives. This portion of the meeting must be closed 
because public disclosure of this information would likely have an 
adverse financial effect on the NAEP program. The discussion of this 
information would 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 addition, during the closed portion the Committee will be taking 
action on personnel appointments for the positions for Assistant 
Director of Test Development, and Assistant Director for Reporting and 
Dissemination. The Committee will discuss the qualifications of the 
individuals recommended for appointment. These discussions will relate 
solely to the internal personnel 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.
    On March 6, the full Board will convene in open session at 8:30 
a.m. The agenda for this session of the meeting includes remarks from 
the Washington State Superintendent of Schools, and an update on NAEP 
activities.
    The Design and Methodology Committee, and the Reporting and 
Dissemination Committee will each meet in open session from 9:30-11:30 
a.m. The Design and Methodology Committee will be reviewing the grant 
applications for the NAEP cycles 2000-2003, and a proposal for a NAEP 
12th grade longitudinal study. On the Voluntary National Tests, the 
Committee will be focusing on the contractors linking proposal, and the 
pilot and field test design. The Reporting and Dissemination Committee 
will review plans for the schedule and release of upcoming NAEP 
reports, and the contractors proposed plan for reporting and utilizing 
the results of the Voluntary National Tests.
    Subject Area Committees #1 and #2 will meet jointly from 9:30-11:30 
a.m. The Committees will hear an update of the plans for the next NAEP 
assessments, as well as, schedule information on the current NAEP 
assessments in 1998.
    The full Board will reconvene beginning at 11:30 a.m.-12:00 noon to 
hear a briefing on the features of the redesign that have been detailed 
in the NCES grant applications for the next two cooperative agreements 
for conducting NAEP. These cooperative agreements will cover two 
operational aspects of NAEP: (1) Data collection, 2000-2003; and (2) 
development, scoring, analysis, and reporting. The Board will also 
consider matters related to the Voluntary National Tests which include 
hearing an overview of activities under the AIR contract through 
September, and a report, recommendations, and discussions on the math 
and reading specifications.
    On March 7, the Nominations Committee will meet in open session 
from 7:30-9:00 a.m. The Committee will discuss modification of the 
calendar for the 1998 nominations process; prepare for the review of 
resumes; and set a date for finalizing committee recommendations.
    Also on March 7, the full Board will meet from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 
noon. The Board will hear comments regarding the Voluntary National 
Tests from the Executive Director of the Council of Great City Schools, 
and the Superintendent of the Seattle School District. Also, the Board 
will receive the reports of its committees.
    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, N.W., 
Washington, D.C., from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

    Dated: February 13, 1998.
Roy Truby,
Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board.
[FR Doc. 98-4154 Filed 2-18-98; 8:45 am]
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