[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 225 (Wednesday, November 21, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69814-69816]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-28314]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


National Assessment Governing Board; Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of open and closed meeting sessions.

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SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda for 
the upcoming meeting of the National Assessment Governing Board (Board) 
and also describes the specific functions of the Board. Notice of this 
meeting is required under Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act. This notice is issued to provide members of the general 
public with an opportunity to attend and/or provide comments. 
Individuals who will need special accommodations in order to attend the 
meeting (e.g. 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 19, 2012. 
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.

[[Page 69815]]


DATES: November 29-December 1, 2012.
    Times:
    November 29: Committee Meetings:
    Ad Hoc Committee on NAEP Background Information: 2:00 p.m.-4:00 
p.m.
    Executive Committee: Open Session: 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.; Closed 
Session: 5:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
    November 30: Full Board and Committee Meetings:
    Full Board: Open Session: 8:30 a.m.-9:20 a.m.; Closed Session: 
12:15 p.m.-1:45 p.m.; Open Session: 2:00 p.m.-4:15 p.m.
    Committee Meetings:
    Assessment Development Committee (ADC): Open Session: 9:30 a.m.-
10:40 a.m.; Closed Session: 10:40 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
    Reporting and Dissemination Committee (R&D): Open Session: 9:30 
a.m.-12:00 p.m.
    Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology (COSDAM): Open 
Session: 9:30 a.m. -10:45 a.m.; Closed Session: 10:45 a.m.-11:50 p.m.; 
Open Session: 11:50 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
    December 1: Full Board and Committee Meetings:
    Nominations Committee: Closed Session: 7:15 a.m.-8:15 a.m.
    Full Board: Closed Session: 8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m.; Open Session: 
10:15 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
    Location: St. Regis Hotel, 923 16th and K Streets NW., Washington, 
DC 20006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Munira Mwalimu, Executive 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 
(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 the following: selecting subject areas to be 
assessed, developing assessment frameworks and specifications, 
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.
    On November 29, 2012, the Ad Hoc Committee on Background 
Information will meet in open session from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The 
Executive Committee will convene in open session from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 
p.m. and thereafter in closed session from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
    During the closed session, the Executive Committee will receive and 
discuss the current procurement plans and independent government cost 
estimates from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 
staff for proposed item development, data collection, scoring and 
analysis, and reporting of National Assessment of Educational Progress 
(NAEP) results for 2013-2017, and their implications on future NAEP 
activities. The discussion of independent government cost estimates for 
the NAEP 2013-2017 contracts is necessary for ensuring that NAEP 
contracts meet congressionally mandated goals and adhere to Board 
policies on NAEP Assessments available at www.nagb.org/policies.html. 
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 by providing contractors attending 
an unfair advantage in procurement and contract negotiations for NAEP. 
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 30, 2012, the full Board will meet in open session from 
8:30 a.m. to 9:20 a.m., followed by a closed session from 12:15 p.m. to 
1:45 p.m., and an open session from 2:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
    From 8:30 a.m. to 9:20 a.m. on November 30, the Board will review 
and approve the November 29-December 1, 2012 meeting agenda and meeting 
minutes from the August 2012 Board meeting. Thereafter, the Chairman 
will introduce new Board members followed by remarks from the new 
members and the Chairman.
    On November 30, 2012 from 8:50 a.m. to 9:20 a.m., the Executive 
Director of the Governing Board will provide a report to the Board, 
followed by updates from the Commissioner of the National Center for 
Education Statistics (NCES) and the Director of the Institute of 
Education Sciences (IES). Following these sessions, the Board will 
recess for Committee meetings from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The 
Reporting and Dissemination Committee will meet in open session and the 
Assessment Development Committee and the Committee on Standards, Design 
and Methodology will meet in open and closed sessions as described 
below.
    On November 30, 2012, the Assessment Development Committee will 
meet in open session from 9:30 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. and in closed session 
from 10:40 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. During the closed session, ADC members 
will review secure science interactive computer tasks (ICTs) and test 
items for the 2014 pilot test in preparation for the 2015 NAEP science 
assessment. The review of secure ICTs for grades 4, 8, and 12 must be 
conducted in closed session because the ADC members will be provided 
with secure items and materials which are not yet available for release 
to the general public. Premature disclosure of the secure test items 
and materials would compromise the integrity and substantially impede 
implementation of the secure NAEP assessments and is therefore 
protected by exemption 9(B) of section 552b(c) of Title 5 of the United 
States Code.
    The Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology (COSDAM) will 
meet in open session from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and thereafter in 
closed session from 10:45 a.m. to 11:50 a.m., followed by an open 
session from 11:50 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. During the closed session, COSDAM 
members will receive an embargoed technical briefing on preliminary 
results of the linking study at grade 8 in mathematics and science. The 
linking study was conducted in 2012 between NAEP and the Trends in 
International Mathematics and Science (TIMSS) assessments. These data 
have not yet been released and therefore cannot be disclosed to the 
general public at this time. Premature disclosure of these secure data 
would significantly impede implementation of the NAEP and TIMSS 
assessments and reporting, and is therefore protected by exemption 9(B) 
of section 552b(c) of Title 5 U.S.C.
    Following the Committee meetings, on November 30, 2012 from 12:15 
p.m. to 1:45 p.m. the full Board will meet in closed session to receive 
two briefings--a linking study of NAEP and TIMSS, and results of the 
Mathematics Curriculum Study. For the NAEP/TIMSS linking study, the 
Board will receive an embargoed briefing on preliminary results. For 
the mathematics curriculum study, the Board will receive an embargoed 
briefing on the results from the 2005 High School Transcript 
Mathematics Curriculum Study of 12th graders. The briefings will 
include secure test items, embargoed assessment data, and results that 
cannot be discussed in an open meeting prior to their official release. 
Premature disclosure of these results would significantly impede 
implementation of the NAEP and TIMSS assessment program, and is

[[Page 69816]]

therefore protected by exemption 9(B) of section 552b(c) of Title 5 
United States Code.
    After the November 30 closed general session, the Board will meet 
in open session. From 2:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., the Board will receive 
the annual briefing on the Governing Board and Council of Chief State 
School Officers (CCSSO) Policy Task Force. From 2:45 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., 
the Board will receive a demonstration of the online Grade 12 
Preparedness Technical Report and a briefing on plans for future 
research studies. Thereafter, from 3:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., Board 
members will receive their annual ethics briefing from the Office of 
General Counsel. The November 30, 2012 Board meeting is scheduled to 
adjourn at 4:15 p.m.
    On December 1, 2012, the Nominations Committee will meet in closed 
session from 7:15 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. to discuss potential candidates for 
Board terms beginning October 1, 2013. The Committee discussions 
pertain solely to internal personnel rules and practices of an agency 
and 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 of 
the United States Code.
    On December 1, 2012 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. the full Board 
will receive a demonstration of computer-based tasks and test materials 
for the NAEP 2014 Technology and Engineering Literacy (TEL) Assessment 
at grade 8. During this closed session, Board members will be provided 
with specific test materials for review which are not yet available for 
release to the general public. Premature disclosure of these secure 
test items and materials would compromise the integrity and 
substantially impede implementation of the NAEP assessment and is 
therefore protected by exemption 9(B) of section 552b(c) of Title 5 of 
the United States Code.
    Following this closed session, the full Board will meet in open 
session to discuss its ongoing work on Making a Difference Initiatives 
which includes plans for the 2013 Education Summit for Parent Leaders. 
From 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. the Board will receive Committee reports 
and take action on Committee recommendations. The December 1, 2012 
meeting is scheduled to adjourn at 12:00 p.m.
    A verbatim transcript 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 9:00 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 1-866-512-
1800; or in the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-0000. 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: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.

    Dated: November 16, 2012.
Cornelia Orr,
Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), U. S. 
Department of Education.
[FR Doc. 2012-28314 Filed 11-20-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P