[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 32 (Thursday, February 16, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8282-8283]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-1445]


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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 meeting.

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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 
Munira. [email protected] no later than February 25, 2006. 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: March 2-4, 2006.

Times

March 2

    Committee Meetings: Ad Hoc Committee on Planning for NAEP 12th 
Grade Assessments in 2009: Open Session--12 p.m. to 2 p.m.;
    Reporting and Dissemination Committee: Open Session--2 p.m. to 4 
p.m.;
    Executive Committee: Open Session--4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.; Closed 
Session 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.

March 3

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

March 4

    Nominations Committee: Closed Session--7:45 a.m to 8:45 a.m.
    Full Board: Open Session--9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
    Location: St. Regis Hotel San Francisco, 125 Third Street, San 
Francisco, CA 94103.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Munira Mwalimu, Operations Officer, 
National Assessment Governing Board, 800 North Capitol Street, NW., 
Suite 825, 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, 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.
    The Ad Hoc Committee on Planning for NAEP 12th Grade Assessments in 
2009 will meet in open session on March 2 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 
the Reporting and Dissemination Committee will meet in open session 
from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thereafter, the Executive Committee will meeting 
open session on from 4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

[[Page 8283]]

    The Executive Committee will meet in closed session on March 2, 
2006, from 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. From 5:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., the 
Committee will receive independent government cost estimates from the 
Associate Commissioner, National Center for Education Statistics, for 
options affecting current and planned operations under current 
contracts due to the one percent reduction in the NAEP budget in FY 
2006. From 5:45 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. the Associate Commissioner will 
present additional independent cost estimates for newly proposed 
activities under current contracts including item development for the 
science assessment, bridge studies, and validity research. The 
discussion of independent government cost estimates prior to decision 
making on which projects to approve is necessary so that NAEP contracts 
meet congressionally mandated goals and adhere to Board policies on 
NAEP assessments. 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 and will provide an 
advantage to potential bidders attending the meeting. The discussion of 
this information would be likely to significantly impede 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.
    On March 3, the full Board will meet in open session from 8:30 a.m. 
to 4:15 p.m. From 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. the Board will approve the 
agenda, introduce and administer the oath of office to a new Board 
member, receive the Executive Director's report, and hear an update on 
the work of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
    From 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on March 3, 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.
    From 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m., the full Board will discuss inclusion 
and accommodations in NAEP, followed by discussion and action on the 
NAEP 2009 Science Specifications from 1:45 p.m. to 3 p.m.
    On March 3, from 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. the Board will hear a 
presentation on revisions to the NAEP 12th Grade Mathematics Objectives 
upon which the March 3 session of the Board meeting will conclude.
    On March 4, 2006 the Nomination Committee will meet in closed 
session from 7:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. to discuss nominations for Board 
vacancies. 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.
    The full Board will convene in open session from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. 
At 9 a.m., the Board will receive a briefing on the National Assessment 
of Adult Literacy with a discussion on lessons for NAEP. Board actions 
on policies and Committee reports are scheduled to take place between 
10:15 a.m. and 12 p.m., upon which the March 4, 2006 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: February 13, 2006.
Charles E. Smith,
Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board.
[FR Doc. 06-1445 Filed 2-15-06; 8:45 am]
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