[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 32 (Thursday, February 18, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8182-8184]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03343]


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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 March 3-5, 2016 
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:
     March 3, 2016 from 2:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
     March 4, 2016 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
     March 5, 2016 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Hilton Arlington, 950 Stafford Street, Arlington, VA 22203.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Munira Mwalimu, Executive Officer/
Designated Federal Official, 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 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.

March 3-5, 2016 Committee Meetings

    The Board's standing committees will meet to conduct regularly 
scheduled work, based on agenda items planned for this quarterly Board 
meeting, and follow-up items as reported in the Board's committee 
meeting minutes available at http://nagb.gov/what-we-do/board-committee-reports-and-agendas.html.

Detailed Meeting Agenda: March 3-5, 2016

    March 3: Inside NAEP: Taking the NAEP Technology and Engineering 
Literacy Assessment: Closed Session: 2:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
    March 3: Executive Committee: Closed Session: 4:30 p.m.-5:20 p.m.; 
Open Session: 5:20 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

March 4: Full Board Meeting

    Full Board: Open Session: 8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m.; Closed Session: 
1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.; Open Session 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

March 4: Committee Meetings

    Reporting and Dissemination Committee (R&D): Open Session 10:15 
a.m.-12:00 p.m.; Closed Session 12:05 p.m.-12:35 p.m.; Open Session 
12:35 p.m. -12:45 p.m.
    Assessment Development Committee (ADC): Open Session: 10:15 a.m.-
10:50 a.m.; Closed Session: 10:50 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
    Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology (COSDAM): Open 
Session: 10:15 a.m.-11:20 a.m.; Closed Session: 11:20 a.m.-12:25 p.m.; 
Open Session: 12:25 p.m.-12:45 p.m.

March 5: 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.-8:50 a.m.; Open Session: 8:50 
a.m.-10:45 a.m.; Closed Session: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
    On March 3, 2016, the Board will meet in closed session from 2:30 
p.m.-4:00 p.m. to take the 2014 NAEP Technology and Engineering 
Literacy (TEL) assessment for grade 8. Board members will access secure 
NAEP TEL items used in the 2014 TEL assessment. This part of the 
meeting must be conducted in closed session because the test items are 
secure and have not been released to the public. Public disclosure of 
the secure TEL items would significantly impede implementation of the 
NAEP assessment program if conducted in open session. Such matters are 
protected by exemption 9(B) of section 552b of title 5 U.S.C.
    Thereafter, the Executive Committee will convene in closed session 
from 4:30 p.m. to 5:20 p.m., and in open session to conduct regularly 
scheduled work from 5:20 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. During the closed session, 
the Executive Committee will receive and discuss cost estimates and 
implications for implementing NAEP's Assessment Schedule through 2024. 
This 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 March 4, 2016, the Full Board will meet in open session from 
8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The Board will review and approve the March 3-
5, 2016 Board meeting agenda and meeting minutes from the November 2015 
Quarterly Board meeting. This session will be followed by new Board 
member introductions and administration of the Oath of Office for new 
members. The Chairman will then deliver remarks on the Salzburg Global 
Seminar. Thereafter the Executive Director of the Governing Board, 
William Bushaw, will provide his report, followed by an update on the 
work of IES provided by Ruth Neild, Deputy Director for Policy and 
Research, IES. The NCES update will be provided by the Acting 
Commissioner of NCES, Peggy Carr. The Board will recess for committee 
meetings at 10:00 a.m. which are scheduled to take place from 10:15 
a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
    The Reporting and Dissemination (R&D) Committee will meet in open

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session from 10:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and in closed session from 12:05 
p.m. to 12:35 p.m. and thereafter in open session from 12:35 p.m. to 
12:45 p.m. During the closed session, the Committee will preview and 
discuss a prototype of the Web site that will host results of the 12th 
grade NAEP reading and mathematics assessments. The data from these 
assessments have not been released and will not be released until a 
month after the Board meeting. This session must be closed because the 
Web site will display secure data that have not been released to the 
public and members will discuss the secure data. Disclosure of the 
secure data would significantly impede implementation of the NAEP 
assessment program if conducted in open session. Such matters are 
protected by exemption 9(B) of section 552b of title 5 U.S.C.
    The Assessment Development Committee (ADC) will meet open session 
from 10:15 a.m. to 10:50 a.m., and in two closed sessions from 10:50 
a.m. to 12:45 p.m. During the first closed session, scheduled from 
10:50 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., the ADC will review secure NAEP test 
questions in grades 4 and 8 for the 2019 Mathematics pilot assessment. 
These test questions have not been released to the public. Disclosure 
of the secure data would significantly impede implementation of the 
NAEP assessment program if conducted in open session. Such matters are 
protected by exemption 9(B) of section 552b of title 5 U.S.C.
    During the second closed session scheduled from 12:00 p.m. to 12:45 
p.m. ADC will receive an embargoed briefing on NAEP's transition to 
digital-based assessment (DBA). The briefing will include secure data 
from the 2015 DBA pilot in Reading and Mathematics, which have not been 
publicly released. The briefing will also include secure NAEP test 
questions in Reading and Mathematics at grades 4 and 8. This meeting is 
being conducted in closed session because the data have not been 
released to the public. Public disclosure of the secure data would 
significantly impede implementation of the NAEP assessment program if 
conducted in open session. Such matters are protected by exemption 9(B) 
of section 552b of title 5 U.S.C.
    On Friday March 4, 2016, the Committee on Standards, Design and 
Methodology (COSDAM) will meet in open session from 10:15 a.m. to 11:20 
a.m. in closed session from 11:20 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. and in open 
session from 12:25 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. During the first part of the 
closed session (11:20 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.), COSDAM will discuss 
information regarding analyses of the 2015 bridge studies for paper-
and-pencil and digital-based assessments, and discuss secure NAEP 
Reading and Mathematics data. This part of the meeting must be 
conducted in closed session because the analysis involves the use of 
secure data for the NAEP Reading and Mathematics assessments on 
digital-based platforms. Public disclosure of secure data would 
significantly impede implementation of the NAEP assessment program if 
conducted in open session. Such matters are protected by exemption 9(B) 
of section 552b of title 5 U.S.C.
    During the second part of the closed session from 12:05 p.m. to 
12:25 p.m., COSDAM will discuss requirements for an upcoming 
procurement to set achievement levels on the 2017 grade 4 Writing 
assessment. Public disclosure of procurement sensitive data would 
provide an unfair advantage to potential offerors, and significantly 
impede implementation of the NAEP assessment program if conducted in 
open session. Such matters are protected by exemption 9(B) of section 
552b of title 5 U.S.C.
    Following the committee meetings, on March 4, the full Board will 
meet in closed session from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. to receive a 
briefing and discuss the 2014 NAEP Technology and Engineering Literacy 
(TEL) Report Card for Grade 8. Results of the TEL assessment have not 
been released to the public. Premature disclosure of the results would 
significantly impede implementation of the NAEP assessment program if 
conducted in open session. Such matters are protected by exemption 9(B) 
of 552b of title 5 U.S.C.
    On March 4, 2016, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., the Board will meet 
in open session to receive a briefing on STEM perspectives from the 
Frameworks Institute. This session will then be followed by a briefing 
and discussion with Hill staff on legislative matters as they pertain 
to education policy issues and NAEP. The March 4, 2016 session of the 
Board meeting will adjourn at 5:00 p.m.
    On March 5, 2016, the Nominations Committee will meet in closed 
session from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. to discuss the final slate of 
candidates for Board vacancies for terms beginning on October 1, 2016. 
The Nominations 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 March 5, 2016, the full Board will meet in closed session from 
8:30 a.m. to 8:50 a.m. to discuss the final slate of candidates for 
Board vacancies for terms beginning October 1, 2016. The Board'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.
    Following this closed session, the full Board will meet in open 
session from 8:50 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. to take action on the slate of 
candidates for the 2016 Board vacancies. From 9:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. 
the Board will receive committee reports and take action on the New 
Trial Urban Districts for 2017 and on the TEL Release Plan for Grade 8. 
Thereafter, from 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. the Board will receive an 
update and discuss the Governing Board's Strategic Planning Initiative.
    The Board will meet in closed session on March 5, 2016 from 11:00 
a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to receive a briefing and discuss the 2015 NAEP 
Reading and Mathematics Report Cards for Grade 12. This meeting must be 
conducted in closed session because results of this assessment have not 
been released to the public. Public disclosure of test results would 
significantly impede implementation of the NAEP assessment program if 
conducted in open session. Such matters are protected by exemption 9(B) 
of section 552b of title 5 U.S.C.
    The March 5, 2016 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 
Thursday, March 4, 2016 by 7:00 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.

[[Page 8184]]

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

    Dated: February 11, 2016.
William J. Bushaw,
Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board, U.S. 
Department of Education.
[FR Doc. 2016-03343 Filed 2-17-16; 8:45 am]
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