[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 214 (Wednesday, November 5, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65644-65646]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-26249]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


National Assessment Governing Board Quarterly Board Meeting

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

ACTION: Announcement of open and closed meetings.

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SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the agenda for the November 20-22, 2014 
Quarterly Meeting of the National Assessment Governing Board (hereafter 
referred to as Governing Board). This notice provides information to 
members of the public who may be interested in attending the meeting or 
providing written comments on the meeting. The notice of this meeting 
is required under Section 10(a)2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(FACA).

DATES: The Quarterly Board meeting will be held on the following dates: 
November 20, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; November 21, 2014 from 
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; November 22, 2014 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The Fairfax at Embassy Row, 2100 Massachusetts Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Munira Mwalimu, Executive Officer, 800 
North Capitol Street NW., Suite 825, Washington, DC 20002, telephone: 
(202) 357-6938, fax: (202) 357-6945.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Statutory Authority and Function: The National Assessment Governing 
Board is established under Title III--National Assessment of 
Educational Progress Authorization Act, Public Law 107-279. Information 
on the Board and its work can be found at www.nagb.gov.
    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, improving the form and use of NAEP, developing 
guidelines for reporting and disseminating results, and releasing 
initial NAEP results to the public.

Detailed Meeting Agenda: November 20-November 22, 2014

November 20: Committee Meetings

    Assessment Development Committee: Closed Session: 9:00 a.m.-3:30 
p.m.
    Assessment Literacy Work Group: Open Session: 12:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
    Executive Committee: Open Session: 4:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.; Closed 
Session: 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

November 21: Full Board and Committee Meetings

    Full Board: Open Session: 8:30 a.m.-9:45 a.m.; Closed Session 12:45 
p.m.-1:45 p.m.; Open Session 2:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.; Closed Session 2:45 
p.m.-4:15 p.m. Board Member Ethics Training: 4:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Committee Meetings
    Reporting and Dissemination Committee (R&D): Open Session: 10:00 
a.m.-12:30 p.m.
    Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology (COSDAM): Open 
Session: 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
    Assessment Development Committee (ADC): Open Session: 10:00 a.m.-
11:45 p.m.; Closed Session: 11:45 p.m.-12:30 p.m.

November 22: Full Board and Committee Meetings

    Nominations Committee: Closed Session: 7:30 a.m.-8:15 a.m.
    Full Board: Closed Session: 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Open Session 9:30 
a.m.-12:00 p.m.
    On November 20, 2014, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. the Assessment 
Development Committee will meet in closed session to review assessment 
items for the NAEP transition to technology-based assessments (TBA). 
The briefing will include secure items in reading and mathematics at 
grades 4 and 8. These secure materials are paper-and-pencil items in 
reading and mathematics that are being transformed into technology-
based assessment items for the 2016 pilot, in preparation for the 2017 
operational assessment. Following the TBA briefing, the ADC will review 
secure mathematics materials for scenario-based tasks that are being 
developed for grades 4 and 8 for the 2016 pilot, in preparation for the 
2017 operational assessment. The Committee's reviews and discussions on 
secure test items cannot be discussed in an open meeting to protect the 
confidentiality of the secure assessment materials. Premature 
disclosure of these results would significantly impede implementation 
of the NAEP assessment program, and is therefore protected by exemption 
9(B) of section 552b(c) of Title 5 United States Code.
    The Board's Assessment Literacy Work Group will meet in open 
session on November 20, 2014, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Work 
Group will discuss assessment literacy strategies and timelines related 
to their work on supporting a better understanding of educational tests 
among parents and members of the general public.
    The Board's Executive Committee will convene in open session on 
November 20, 2014 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. to review and discuss the 
November 21-22, 2014 Board meeting agenda, receive updates on the NAEP 
budget, assessment schedule, and reauthorization, and discuss Board 
Committee issues and challenges to be addressed by the respective Board 
Committees.
    Following this session, the Executive Committee will meet in closed 
session from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to receive and discuss cost 
estimates on various

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options for implementing NAEP for 2014-2018. The implications of the 
cost estimates and funds in support of the NAEP Assessment Schedule and 
future NAEP activities will also be discussed. 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 confidential cost details and proprietary contract 
costs of current contractors to the public. 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 of Title 5 U.S.C.
    On November 21, 2014, the full Board will meet in open session from 
8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The Board will review and approve the November 
21-22, 2014 Board meeting agenda and meeting minutes from the July 31-
August 2, 2014 Quarterly Board meeting. This session will be followed 
by the Chairman's remarks. The Chairman will then introduce the new 
Governing Board members who will provide remarks. Thereafter, the 
Executive Director of the Governing Board will provide a report, 
followed by an update on the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) from 
the Acting Director and an update on NCES from the Acting Commissioner. 
The Board will recess for Committee meetings from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 
p.m.
    The Reporting and Dissemination Committee and the Committee on 
Standards, Design and Methodology (COSDAM) will meet in open sessions 
from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to discuss their ongoing policy issues. 
The Assessment Development Committee will meet in open session from 
10:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. to discuss ongoing work and in closed session 
from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. During the closed session, the Committee 
will receive a briefing on the 2011 NAEP Writing assessment which will 
include secure NAEP writing prompts in grades 4, 8, and 12 which were 
administered in 2011. These prompts will be re-administered in 2017 to 
report on trends in student writing achievement at grades 4, 8, and 12. 
The Committee's reviews and discussions on secure writing prompts 
cannot be discussed in an open meeting to protect the confidentiality 
of the secure assessment materials. Premature disclosure of these 
results would significantly impede implementation of the NAEP 
assessment program, and is therefore protected by exemption 9(B) of 
section 552b(c) of Title 5 United States Code.
    Following the Committee meetings, the Board will convene in closed 
session from 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. to receive a briefing on a NAEP 
report titled, Mapping State Proficiency Standards onto NAEP Scales: 
2011-2013. The Board will receive an embargoed briefing on preliminary 
results, which will include assessment data and results that cannot be 
discussed in an open meeting prior to their official approval and 
release in early 2015 by the National Assessment Governing Board. 
Premature disclosure of these results would significantly impede 
implementation of the NAEP assessment program, and is therefore 
protected by exemption 9(B) of section 552b(c) of Title 5 United States 
Code.
    On November 21, 2014 from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., the Board will 
meet in open session. The Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, will 
administer the Oath of Office to new members and make remarks to the 
Board.
    From 2:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., the Board will meet in closed session 
to discuss the NAEP Schedule of Assessments and NAEP budget. This 
session will be an in-depth briefing and discussion to examine specific 
costs for assessing NAEP subjects, including cost projections for 
moving NAEP to technology-based assessments, which will impact the NAEP 
schedule from 2015-2024. This detailed briefing will also allow new 
Board members to become thoroughly familiar with NAEP budget details in 
preparation for future action on the NAEP Schedule of Assessments in 
upcoming 2015 Board meetings. 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 the Board meeting 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 
of Title 5 U.S.C.
    Following this closed session, Board members will receive their 
annual ethics briefing from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of 
General Counsel from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The November 21, 2014 
session will adjourn at 5:00 p.m.
    On November 22, 2014, the Nominations Committee will meet in closed 
session from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. to discuss candidates for the eight 
Board vacancies for terms beginning on October 1, 2015. The Committee's 
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 November 22, 2014, the Board will meet in closed session from 
8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. to receive a briefing and discuss the 2013 NAEP 
Puerto Rico Mathematics Report. This is an embargoed briefing on 
preliminary results, which will include assessment data and results 
that cannot be discussed in an open meeting prior to their official 
approval and release in December 2014 by the National Assessment 
Governing Board. Premature disclosure of these results would 
significantly impede implementation of the NAEP assessment program, and 
is therefore protected by exemption 9(B) of section 552b(c) of Title 5 
United States Code.
    From 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. the Board will receive a briefing on 
an Inside NAEP series--Recent NAEP Reports and Outreach. Following this 
session, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. the Board will receive reports 
from the standing Committees and the Assessment Literacy Work Group, 
and take action on Committee recommendations. The November 22, 2014 
meeting is scheduled to adjourn at 12:00 p.m.
    Access to Records of the Meeting: Pursuant to FACA requirements, 
the public may also inspect the meeting materials at www.nagb.gov on 
Friday, November 21, 2014 by 9:00 a.m. ET. The official verbatim 
transcripts of the public meeting sessions will be available for public 
inspection no later than 30 calendar days following the meeting.
    Reasonable Accommodations: The meeting site is accessible to 
individuals with disabilities. If you will need an auxiliary aid or 
service to participate in the meeting (e.g., interpreting service, 
assistive listening device, or materials in an alternate format), 
notify the contact person listed in this notice at least two weeks 
before the scheduled meeting date. Although we will attempt to meet a 
request received after that date, we may not be able to make available 
the requested auxiliary aid or service because of insufficient time to 
arrange it.
    Electronic Access to this Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free 
Internet access to the

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official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System at: 
www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can 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). To use PDF, 
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the 
site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Authority: Pub. L. 107-279, Title III--National Assessment of 
Educational Progress Sec.  301.

    Dated: October 31, 2014.
Cornelia S. Orr,
Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), U.S. 
Department of Education.
[FR Doc. 2014-26249 Filed 11-4-14; 8:45 am]
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