[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 137 (Wednesday, July 18, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39385-39387]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-13919]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


National Assessment Governing Board; Meeting

AGENCY: Department of Education, National Assessment Governing Board.

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 27, 2007. 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: August 2-4, 2007.

Times

August 2

Committee Meetings

    Assessment Development Committee: Closed Session--8:30 a.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.

[[Page 39386]]

August 3

    Full Board: Open Session--8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m..; Closed Session--
12:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.; Open Session--1:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Committee Meetings

    Assessment Development Committee: Open Session--9:15 a.m. to 12:15 
p.m.
    Joint Session: Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology and 
the Reporting and Dissemination Committee: Closed Session--9:15 a.m. to 
10 a.m.
    Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology: Open Session--10 
a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
    Reporting and Dissemination Committee: Open Session--10 a.m. to 
12:15 p.m.

August 4

    Nominations Committee: Closed Session--7:45 a.m. to 8:15 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.
    On August 2, 2007, the Assessment Development Committee will meet 
in closed session from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. to review secure science 
pilot items for grades 4, 8, and 12 for the 2009 National Assessment of 
Educational Progress (NAEP) Science Pilot. The meeting must be 
conducted in closed session as disclosure of proposed test items for 
the science pilot 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.
    On August 2, the Executive Committee will meet in closed session 
from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. for the following briefing and discussions:
    (1) The Committee will receive independent government cost 
estimates from the Associate Commissioner of the National Center for 
Education Statistics, for options affecting operations under contracts 
covering the 2008-2012 assessment years. The discussion of independent 
government cost estimates 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 bidders attending the meeting. The meeting must therefore 
be conducted in closed session as disclosure of data would 
significantly impede implementation of the NAEP release activities, and 
is therefore protected by exemption 9(B) of section 552b(c) of Title 5 
U.S.C.
    (2) The Committee will discuss Governing Board staff reappointments 
and the nomination of the Vice Chair of the Board for the one-year term 
beginning October 1, 2007. These discussions pertain 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 3, the full Board will meet in open session from 8:30 
a.m. to 9 a.m. The Board will approve the agenda, receive the Executive 
Director's report, and hear an update on the work of the National 
Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The Board's standing committees 
will meet from 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
    The Assessment Development Committee will meet in open session on 
August 3 from 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The Committee on Design and 
Methodology and the Reporting and Dissemination Committee will meet in 
a joint closed session on August 3 from 9:15 a.m. to 10 a.m. to receive 
a briefing on secure data on participation, and inclusion and 
accommodation rates for the 2007 NAEP assessments (Writing at grades 8 
and 12 and reading and mathematics at grades 4 and 8). The NAEP reports 
will not be released until the fall of 2007. The meeting must therefore 
be conducted in closed session as premature disclosure of data 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.
    On August 3, the full Board will meet in closed session from 12:15 
p.m. to 1:45 p.m. to receive a briefing on results of the 2006 NAEP 
12th Grade Economics Report Card. The Governing Board will be provided 
with embargoed data on the report that cannot be discussed in an open 
meeting prior to their official release. The meeting must therefore be 
conducted in closed session as premature disclosure of data 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.
    On August 3 from 1:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. the Board will receive a 
panel presentation on NAEP Trendline Issues. From 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 
p.m., the Board will discuss and take action on the NAEP 2011 Writing 
Specifications and Background Variables.
    On August 4, the Nominations Committee will meet in closed session 
from 7:45 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. to review and discuss confidential 
information regarding nominees received for Board vacancies for terms 
beginning on October 1, 2007. These discussions pertain 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 meet in open session on August 4 from 9 a.m. to 
12 noon. From 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., the Board will receive a briefing on 
NAEP Validity. Board actions on policies and Committee reports are 
scheduled to take place between 10:15 a.m. and 12 p.m., upon which the 
August 4, 2007 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, Monday through Friday.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document

[[Page 39387]]

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    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: July 12, 2007.
Charles E. Smith,
Executive Director, U.S. Department of Education, National Assessment 
Governing Board.
 [FR Doc. E7-13919 Filed 7-17-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P