[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 135 (Tuesday, July 15, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41787-41788]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-17868]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


National Assessment Governing Board; Meeting

AGENCY: National Assessment Governing Board; Education.

ACTION: Notice of open meeting and partially closed meetings.

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SUMMARY: The 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 members of the 
general public of their opportunity to attend. Individuals who will 
need special accommodations in order to attend the meeting (i.e.; 
interpreting services, assistive listening devices, materials in 
alternative format) should notify Munira Mwalimu at 202-357-6938 or at 
[email protected] no later than July 25, 2003. We will attempt to 
meet requests after this date, but cannot guarantee availability of the 
requested accommodation. The meeting site is accessible to individuals 
with disabilities.

DATES: July 31-August 2, 2003.

Times:

July 31:
Committee Meetings:
Assessment Development Committee: Closed Session--12 p.m. to 3 p.m.;
Ad Hoc Committee on Background Questions: Open Session--3:30 p.m. to 5 
p.m.;
Executive Committee: Open Session--5 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Closed Session 6 
p.m. to 7 p.m.

August 1:
Full Board: Open Session--8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Committee Meetings:
Assessment Development Committee: Closed Session--10 a.m. to 10:30 
a.m.; Open Session--10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.;
Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology: Open Session--10 a.m. 
to 12 p.m.;
Reporting and Dissemination Committee: Open Session--10 a.m. to 12 
p.m.;
Full Board: Closed Session--12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.; Open Session--1:30 
p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

August 2:
Full Board: Open Session--8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Location: Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City, 1250 South Hayes Street, 
Arlington, VA 22202.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Munira Mwalimu, Operations Officer, 
National Assessment Governing Board, 800 North Capitol Street, NW., 
Suite 825, 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, as amended.
    The Board is established to formulate policy guidelines for the 
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The Board's 
responsibilities include selecting subject areas to be assessed, 
developing assessment objectives, developing appropriate student 
achievement levels for each grade and subject tested, developing 
guidelines for reporting and disseminating results, and developing 
standards and procedures for interstate and national comparisons.
    On July 31, the Assessment Development Committee will meet in 
closed session from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. to review secure test items for 
the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2005 Science 
Assessment. The meeting must be conducted in closed session as 
disclosure of proposed test items from the 2005 NAEP Science Assessment 
would significantly impede implementation of the NAEP program, and is 
therefore protected by exemption 9(B) of section 552b(c) of Title 5 
U.S.C.
    The Executive Committee will meet in open session on July 31, from 
5 p.m. to 6 p.m. The committee will then meet in closed session from 6 
p.m. to 7 p.m. for two purposes. First, the committee will discuss 
independent government cost estimates for contracts related to the 
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). This part of the 
meeting must be conducted in closed session because 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 impeded 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.
    Second, in the closed session, the Executive Committee will discuss 
a personnel action pertaining to nomination of the Board Vice Chair. 
This discussion pertains solely to internal personnel rules and 
practices of an agency and will disclose information of a personal 
nature where disclosure would constitute an unwarranted invasion of 
personal privacy. As such, the discussions are protected by exemptions 
2 and 6 of section 552b(c) of Title 5 U.S.C.
    On August 1, the full Board will meet in open session from 8:30 
a.m. to 10 a.m. The Board will approve the agenda, hear the executive 
Director's report. and receive an update on the work of the

[[Page 41788]]

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) from the Associate 
Commissioner of NCES, Val Plisko.
    From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on August 1, the Board's standing 
committees--the Assessment Development Committee; the Committee on 
Standards, Design, and Methodology; and the Reporting and Dissemination 
Committee--will meet in open session, with one exception. The 
Assessment Development Committee will meet in closed session on August 
1 from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. to receive a briefing on the 2002 NAEP 
Oral Reading Grade Four Special Study results. The meeting must be 
conducted in closed session because results of the Oral Reading Study 
have not been released to the public; premature disclosure of the 
information would 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 full Board will meet in closed session on August 1, 2003 from 
12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. to receive results of the 2003 NAEP Reading and 
Mathematics Assessments. This session must be closed because the 
results of the Reading and Mathematics Assessments are under 
development and have not been released to the public Premature 
disclosure of the information would 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 full Board will meet in open session on August 1 from 1:30 
p.m.-4:15 p.m. The Board will receive an update on the 2007 Reading 
Framework Project at 1:30 p.m. followed by a presentation by former 
Vice Board Chair Michael Nettles from 2:45 p.m. to 3:35 p.m. This 
presentation will be followed by a report from the Ad Hoc Committee on 
State Sampling, after which the August 1 session of the board meeting 
will adjourn.
    The full Board will meet in open session from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. 
on August 2. The Board will review video clips on recent NAEP releases 
from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., followed by a report on NAEP Special Studies/
Technology Based Assessments from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The Board will 
then receive an update on the work of the NAEP 12th Grade Commission 
from 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Board actions on policies and Committee 
reports are scheduled to take place between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., when 
the August 2, 2003 session of the board meeting will adjourn.
    Detailed minutes of the meeting, including summaries of the 
activities of the closed sessions and related matters that 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 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Standard 
Time.

    Dated: July 10, 2003.
Charles E. Smith,
Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board.
[FR Doc. 03-17868 Filed 7-14-03; 8:45 am]
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