[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 204 (Monday, October 23, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62098-62099]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-8821]


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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 November 6, 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: November 16-18, 2006.

Times

November 16:
    Committee Meetings:
    Assessment Development Committee: Closed Session--2 p.m. to 4 p.m.;
    Executive Committee: Open Session--4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Closed 
Session--5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
November 17:
    Full Board: Open Session--8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.; Closed Session--
12:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.; Open Session--1:45 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
    Committee Meetings:
    Assessment Development Committee: Open Session--9:45 a.m. to 12:15 
p.m.;
    Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology: Open Session--9:45 
a.m. to 12:15 p.m.;
    Reporting and Dissemination Committee: Open Session--9:45 a.m. to 
12:15 p.m.;

[[Page 62099]]

November 18:
    Nominations Committee: Closed Session--8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
    Full Board: Open Session--9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
    Location: The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Boulevard, 
McLean, VA 22102.

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 Assessment Development Committee will meet in closed session on 
November 16 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (two hours) to review secure topics 
for proposed 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 
science interactive computer tasks at grades 4, 8, and 12. The meeting 
must be conducted in closed session as disclosure of secure interactive 
computer tasks on the 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 November 16 
from 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. and will meet in closed session from 5 p.m. to 
6 p.m. The Committee will receive independent government cost estimates 
from the National Center for Education Statistics for proposed 
contracts for item development, sample selection, analysis, and 
reporting of NAEP testing for 2008-2012, and their implications on 
future NAEP activities. The discussion of independent government cost 
estimates prior to the development of the Request for Proposals for 
NAEP contracts covering assessment years 2008-2012 is necessary for 
ensuring 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 November 17, the full Board will meet in open session from 8:30 
a.m. to 12:15 p.m. From 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. the Board will approve 
the agenda which will be followed by the Oath of Office ceremony for 
new Board members. The Board will receive the Executive Director's 
report and hear an update on the work of the National Center for 
Education Statistics.
    From 9:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on November 17, 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 sessions.
    On November 17, the full Board will meet in closed session from 
12:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. The Board membership will be briefed by the 
Associate Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics 
on secure national student achievement data related to two upcoming 
NAEP 12th grade reports. The Governing Board will be provided with 
embargoed data from the 2005 Mathematics and Reading Assessments in 
grade 12 and the 2005 High School Transcript Study, which includes 
findings from the 2005 12th grade Mathematics and Science Assessments. 
These data constitute the major basis for the initial public release of 
The Nation's Report Card, and cannot be discussed in an open meeting 
prior to the official release of these two reports. The meeting must 
therefore be conducted in closed session as disclosure of data would 
significantly impede implementation of The Nation's Report Card initial 
release activities, as protected by exemption 9(B) of section 552b(c) 
of Title 5 U.S.C.
    On November 17 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. the Board will receive a 
report from the Commission on the Future of Higher Education. This 
session will be followed by an update on the NAEP Writing Framework 
project from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. From 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Board members 
will receive an ethics briefing from the Office of General Counsel, 
upon which the November 17 session of the Board meeting will conclude.
    The Nominations Committee will meet in closed session on November 
18 from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. to review and discuss confidential 
information regarding nominees received for Board vacancies for terms 
beginning on October 1, 2007. 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.
    From 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., the full Board will meet in open session. 
The full Board will receive a briefing on setting achievement levels 
from 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Board actions on policies and Committee 
reports are scheduled to take place between 10:30 a.m. and 12 p.m., 
upon which the November 18, 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 policies 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: October 18, 2006.
Charles E. Smith,
Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board.
[FR Doc. 06-8821 Filed 10-20-06; 8:45 am]
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