[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 213 (Monday, November 5, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62456-62458]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-21678]


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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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[[Page 62457]]

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 5, 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: November 15-17, 2007.

Times

November 15

Committee Meeting
    Executive Committee: Open Session--4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Closed 
Session--4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

November 16

    Full Board: Open Session--8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m..; Closed Session--
12:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.; Open Session--2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Closed 
Session--3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Committee Meetings
    Assessment Development Committee: Closed Session--9:30 a.m. to 
11:30 a.m.; Open Session--11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.;
    Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology: Open Session--9:30 
a.m. to 12:30 p.m.;
    Reporting and Dissemination Committee: Open Session--9:30 a.m. to 
12:30 p.m.;

November 17

    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: 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 November 15, the Executive Committee will meet in closed session 
from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. to receive a briefing from the National Center 
for Education Statistics on contractor costs and contract options under 
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) contracts awarded in 
Fiscal Year 2007, covering the 2008-2012 assessment years. The 
discussion of contractor costs and contract options will address the 
implications for congressionally mandated goals and adherence to Board 
policies on NAEP assessments. This part of the meeting must be 
conducted in closed session because public discussion of this 
information would disclose proprietary information submitted by the 
successful contractors and have an adverse effect on the 
confidentiality of the contracting process. The meeting must therefore 
be conducted in closed session as disclosure of technical and cost data 
would significantly impede implementation of the NAEP contract awards, 
and is therefore protected by exemption 9(B) of section 552b(c) of 
Title 5 U.S.C.
    On November 16, the full Board will meet in open session from 8:30 
a.m. to 9:15 a.m. The Board will approve the agenda and new Board 
members will be administered the Oath of Office. The Governing Board 
will receive a report from the Executive Director and hear an update on 
the work of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
    The Assessment Development Committee will meet in closed session on 
November 16 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. to review secure science pilot 
items for grades 4, 8, and 12 for the 2009 National Assessment of 
Educational Progress (NAEP). 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. From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the Committee will meet in open 
session.
    On November 16, the Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology, 
and the Reporting and Dissemination Committee will meet in open session 
from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
    On November 16, the full Board will meet in closed session from 
12:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. to receive a briefing on results of the 2007 
NAEP Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) Reading and Mathematics 
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 November 16 from 2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. the Board will receive 
an update from the Chair of the Technical Panel on 12th Grade 
Preparedness Research. Thereafter, Board members will receive a closed 
session briefing on Ethics from the Office of General Counsel from 3:30 
p.m. to 4 p.m.
    On November 17, the Nominations Committee will meet in closed 
session from 7:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. to review and discuss confidential 
information regarding nominees received for Board vacancies for terms 
beginning on October 1, 2008. 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 November 17 from 9 a.m. 
to 12 p.m. From 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., the Board will receive a briefing on 
developing NAEP Frameworks and Test Questions. Board actions on 
policies and Committee reports are scheduled to take place between 
10:15 a.m. and 12 p.m., upon which the November 17, 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

[[Page 62458]]

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.
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well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
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call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free at 1-888-293-
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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: October 30, 2007.
Charles E. Smith,
Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board, U.S. 
Department of Education.
[FR Doc. E7-21678 Filed 11-2-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P