[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 142 (Monday, July 26, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40356-40357]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-18932]


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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 general public 
of their opportunity to attend.

DATES: August 5-7, 1999.

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

location: Ritz Carlton Hotel, Pentagon City, 1250 South Hayes Street, 
Arlington, VA.

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. Under Pub. 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 August 5, the Subject Area Committee #2 will meet in closed 
session from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m to review proposed items for the math 
and science tests to be administered in the year 2000. This 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

[[Page 40357]]

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. The Committee will meet in open 
session from 2:30-3:00 p.m. to discuss plans for the 2004 NAEP 
mathematics framework and VNT math items.
    The Design and Methodology Committee will meet in open session from 
1:00-3:00 p.m. The Committee will be taking action on the pilot test 
design and analysis plans, and the validity research agenda for the 
proposed Voluntary National Tests. The Committee will hear reports on 
the provisions that might be made for including special needs students 
in the Voluntary National Tests, and hear an update on the NAEP 
evaluations.
    From 3:00-4:00 p.m., there will be a joint meeting of the Design 
and Methodology Committee and the Reporting and Dissemination 
Committees to review and discuss the sampling and reporting plans for 
NAEP 2000 assessments in mathematics and science.
    Also on August 5, there will be a partially closed meeting of the 
Executive Committee. In open session from 4:00-5:000 p.m. the Committee 
will review the NAEP and NAGB reauthorizations preparations, and hear a 
report on the briefings that were given to Congress and the Secretary.
    During the closed portion, 5:00-6:00 p.m., the Executive Committee 
will discuss the development of cost estimates for the NAEP and future 
contract initiatives. Public disclosure of this information would 
likely have an adverse financial affect 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 in closed session, the Executive Committee will discuss the 
qualifications of current Board members to serve as Chairman and Vice 
Chairman of NAGB. Based upon these discussions, the Board will elect a 
Vice Chairman and recommend a Chairman to the Secretary. This portion 
of the meeting will relate solely to the internal personnel rules and 
practices of an agency and will disclose information of a personal 
nature where disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion 
of personal privacy and, as such, is protected by exemptions (2) and 
(6) of section 552b(c) of title 5 U.S.C.
    On August 5, the full Board will convene in open session from 8:00 
to 10:30 a.m. The agenda for this session includes approval of the 
agenda, the report of the Executive Director, NAEP Update, discussion 
on Mathematics Framework for Year 2004 Assessment, and NAEP and NAGB 
reauthorization.
    Between 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., there will be open meetings of 
Subject Area #1, Achievement Levels, and the Reporting and 
Dissemination committees.
    Subject Area Committee #1 will meet to discuss issues related to 
the NAEP Foreign Language Framework Consensus Project, and the reading 
assessment issues in the proposed Voluntary National Tests.
    The Achievement Levels Committee will hear briefings on three 
items: Preliminary results of the booklet classification and the 
similarities classification studies; findings of a research study 
designed to observe the impact of using different response probability 
criteria for setting achievement levels; and a report which summarizes 
the different methods that have been used to set achievement levels on 
NAEP.
    The Reporting and Dissemination Committee agenda includes a series 
of reviews for the NAEP assessments: Review of plans for releasing 
results of the 1998 writing and civics assessments; review of the 
schedule for release of future NAEP reports; and review of the 
background questionnaires for NAEP 2000 in math and science. For the 
proposed Voluntary National Tests, the Committee will consider the 
workplan for score reporting, 4:00 p.m. The Board will hear the results 
of a research study concerned with the participation rates of special 
needs students in NAEP; receive a briefings on the current status of 
the NAEP redesign and the recommendations for NAGP and NAEP 
reauthorization.
    On August 7, the full Board will be in session from 8:30--
adjournment, approximately 11:30 a.m. The agenda includes a briefing on 
a report titled Increasing Participation of Special Needs Students in 
NAEP: Results of the 1996 Research Study; and an update on the planning 
for the foreign language framework. Also, the Board will hear reports 
from its standing committees and, where appropriate, take action on 
their work.
    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.
Roy Truby,
Executive Director, National Assessment Government Board.
[FR Doc. 99-18932 Filed 7-23-99; 8:45 am]
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