[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 10 (Friday, January 15, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2529-2530]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-711]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Notice of Public Hearing

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Education, National Assessment Governing 
Board.

ACTION: Notice of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: The National Assessment Governing Board is announcing a public 
hearing on January 28, 2010 to obtain comment on the draft 
Technological Literacy Assessment Framework for the National Assessment 
of Educational Progress (NAEP).
    Public and private parties and organizations are invited to present 
written and/or oral testimony. The hearing will be held at the 
Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 
20001 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST.
    This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a 
forthcoming public hearing 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 provide comment. Individuals who 
will need special accommodations in order to attend the hearing (such 
as interpreting services, assistive listening devices, materials in 
alternative format) should notify Munira Mwalimu at 202-357-6938 or at 
[email protected] no later than January 21, 2010. 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: January 28, 2010.
    Location: Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20001.
    Time: 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST
    Background: Under Public Law 107-279, the National Assessment 
Governing Board (NAGB) is responsible for determining the content and 
methodology of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). 
The assessment is required to provide a fair and accurate measurement 
of student academic achievement through a random sampling process that 
produces representative data for the nation, the states, and other 
participating jurisdictions. The Board's responsibilities include 
selecting subject areas to be assessed, developing assessment 
specifications and frameworks, designing the methodology of the 
assessment, developing appropriate student achievement levels for each 
grade and subject tested, developing standards and procedures for 
interstate and national comparisons, developing guidelines for 
reporting and disseminating results, and releasing initial NAEP results 
to the public.
    In preparation for a new assessment in the area of Technological 
Literacy, the Governing Board has contracted with WestEd to convene 
broad-based panels of policymakers, business representatives, 
educators, engineers, information communication experts, and others to 
recommend student knowledge and skills at the 4th, 8th, and 12th grades 
for a planned assessment of

[[Page 2530]]

Technological Literacy. The framework covers a broad range of content 
and practices related to technology and society; design and systems; 
and information and communication technology. The draft framework was 
developed during a multi-year, widely-inclusive process. WestEd has 
conducted numerous forums and other outreach activities to obtain input 
and feedback on earlier drafts of the assessment framework. This public 
hearing scheduled for January 28, 2010 is the final forum for 
interested individuals and organizations to provide feedback on the 
framework, prior to Board action in early March 2010.
    The draft framework is available on the Governing Board Web site at 
http://www.nagb.org and on the Technological Literacy project Web site 
at http://www.naeptech2012.org. Other related material on the Governing 
Board and NAEP may be found at http://www.nagb.org and at http://www.nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard.
    The Board is seeking comment from policymakers, teachers, 
researchers, state and local school administrators, business 
representatives, members of interested organizations, and members of 
the public. Representatives of the Governing Board will conduct the 
hearing to receive testimony and ask clarifying questions or respond to 
presentations. Oral testimony should not exceed ten minutes. Testimony 
will become part of the public record.
    To register to present oral testimony on January 28, 2010 at the 
Washington Court Hotel, in Washington, DC, please call Tessa Regis, of 
the National Assessment Governing Board staff, at 202-357-7500 or send 
an e-mail to [email protected] by 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, 
January 26, 2010. Written testimony should be sent by mail, fax or e-
mail for receipt in the Board office by January 28, 2010. All views 
will be considered by the Board's Assessment Development Committee and 
by the full Board. It is anticipated that the Committee will make 
recommendations to the Governing Board at the Governing Board meeting 
on March 4-6, 2010.
    The Board will make an effort to receive testimony from all persons 
who wish to present testimony at the hearing, without prior 
registration, but may not be able to do so. Speakers are encouraged to 
register in advance and to bring written statements for distribution at 
the hearing.
    Testimony should be sent to: National Assessment Governing Board, 
800 North Capitol Street, NW., Suite 825, Washington, DC 20002, 
Attention: Tessa Regis, Fax: (202) 357-6945, e-mail: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tessa Regis or Mary Crovo, 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 formulates policy guidelines for the 
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
    Specific questions that the Board seeks responses to include the 
following:
    1. Does the content described in the draft framework represent 
important information and reasonable expectations for student 
achievement in technological literacy?
    2. Is there an appropriate balance among different areas of 
technological literacy at grades 4, 8, and 12?
    3. Are the skills and practices in the framework treated 
satisfactorily with appropriate emphasis?
    4. Is there an appropriate mix of item types--multiple-choice, 
short answer, and long constructed response?
    5. Does the draft framework provide clear information about the 
content and format of this NAEP assessment? Are the organization and 
format of the document appropriate for its intended audiences, 
including the general public, teachers, policy makers, curriculum 
specialists, and others?
    6. The Board intends to change the assessment title, 
``Technological Literacy,'' to another more appropriate title, which 
clearly communicates the broad-based nature of the assessment. What are 
some recommendations for a new title and why are those choices more 
appropriate than Technological Literacy?
    A detailed summary of the hearing that is 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 9:00 
a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern 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 Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister/index.html. To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 
available free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, 
call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free at 1-888-293-
6498; or in the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

    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: January 12, 2010.
Cornelia S. Orr,
Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board, U.S. 
Department of Education.
[FR Doc. 2010-711 Filed 1-14-10; 8:45 am]
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