[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 209 (Monday, October 29, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54333-54335]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-23495]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


National Assessment Governing Board

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 15-17, 2018 
Quarterly Board 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 related to the work of the 
Governing Board. Notice of this meeting is required under the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act (FACA).

DATES: The Quarterly Board Meeting will be held on the following dates:

 November 15, 2018 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
 November 16, 2018 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

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 November 17, 2018 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Munira Mwalimu, Executive Officer/
Designated Federal Official for the Governing Board, 800 North Capitol 
Street NW, Suite 825, Washington, DC 20002, telephone: (202) 357-6938, 
fax: (202) 357-6945, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Statutory Authority and Function: The Governing Board is 
established under the National Assessment of Educational Progress 
Authorization Act, Title III of Public Law 107-279.
    The Governing Board is established to formulate policy for the 
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The Governing 
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.

November 15-17, 2018 Committee Meetings

    The Governing 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 
Governing Board's committee meeting minutes available at https://www.nagb.gov/governing-board/quarterly-board-meetings.html.

Detailed Meeting Agenda: November 15-17, 2018

November 15: Committee Meetings

    Ad Hoc Committee on Measures of Postsecondary Preparedness: Open 
Session: 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
    Executive Committee: Open Session: 4:30 p.m. to 4:35 p.m.; Closed 
Session 4:35 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

November 16: Full Governing Board and Committee Meetings

    Full Governing Board: Open Session: 8:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.; 2:45 
p.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Closed Sessions: 12:45 p.m.-2:30 p.m.; 4:45 p.m. to 
5:15 p.m.
Committee Meetings: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
    Assessment Development Committee (ADC): Closed Session: 10:30 a.m.-
11:05 a.m. Open Session: 11:05 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
    Reporting and Dissemination (R&D): Open Session 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 
a.m.
    Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology (COSDAM): Open 
Session: 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.;
    Joint Committee Meetings: COSDAM and R&D: Open Session: 11:30 a.m. 
to 12:30 p.m.

November 17: Full Governing Board and Committee Meetings

    Nominations Committee: Closed Session: 7:30 a.m. to 8:20 a.m.
    Full Governing Board: Closed Session: 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.; Open 
Session: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; Closed Session: 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 
p.m.
    On Thursday, November 15, 2018, the Ad Hoc Committee on Measures of 
Postsecondary Preparedness 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 4:35 p.m. to review the committee agenda.
    Thereafter, the Executive Committee will convene in closed session 
from 4:35 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. During the closed session, the Executive 
Committee will receive and discuss independent cost estimates and 
implications for implementing the Long-Term Trend assessment in 2021 
and costs estimates to conduct assessments based on a draft revised 
NAEP Assessment Schedule extending to 2030. 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 independent government cost estimates and 
proprietary contract costs of current NAEP 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 Friday, November 16, 2018, the Governing Board will meet in open 
session from 8:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. From 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. the 
Governing Board will review and approve the November 15-17, 2018 
quarterly meeting agenda and meeting minutes from the August 2018 
Quarterly Board Meeting. The Governing Board Chair and new members of 
the Governing Board will provide remarks. Thereafter, the Secretary of 
Education, Betsy DeVos, will administer the oath of office to four new 
Governing Board members and a reappointed member, following which she 
will address the Governing Board. From 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. the 
Governing Board's Deputy Executive Director Lisa Stooksberry will 
provide an update on the Governing Board's work, followed by updates 
from the Institute of Education Sciences and NCES.
    From 10:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m., the standing committee chairs will 
provide a preview of the agenda items for the committee meetings. At 
10:15 a.m., the Governing Board will recess for a 15 minute break. 
Thereafter, committee meetings will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 
p.m.
    The Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology and the 
Reporting and Dissemination Committee will meet in open sessions from 
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Thereafter, these committees will meet jointly 
in open session from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
    The Assessment Development Committee will meet in closed session 
from 10:30 a.m. to 11:05 a.m. and thereafter in open session from 11:05 
a.m. to 12:30 p.m. During the closed session, the Assessment 
Development Committee will review secure items on the Vocabulary 
Assessment in NAEP Reading. 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 releasing test items 
that have not been disclosed 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.
    Following the committee meetings, on Friday, November 16, 2018, the 
Governing Board will convene in closed session from 12:45 p.m. to 2:30 
p.m. to discuss the NAEP Assessment Schedule and budget. This meeting 
must be conducted in closed session because discussions will involve 
reviewing independent government cost estimates for assessing various 
NAEP subjects on the assessment schedule. Public disclosure of the cost 
estimates would significantly impede implementation of the NAEP 
assessment program if conducted in open session. Such matters are 
protected by exemption 9(B) of Sec.  552b(c) of Title 5 of the United 
States Code.
    The Governing Board will take a 15 minute break and reconvene in 
open session from 2:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. The Governing Board will 
receive a briefing

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from a panel on the history and context of the NAEP achievement levels. 
The Governing Board will then discuss the draft Governing Board Policy 
on Developing Student Achievement Levels for NAEP.
    From 4:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. the Governing Board will meet in closed 
session to receive a confidential briefing on ethics from the Office of 
General Counsel. This meeting is closed because the discussions pertain 
solely to internal personnel rules and practices of an agency and 
information of a personal nature wherein disclosure would constitute a 
clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. As such, the 
discussions are protected by exemptions 2 and 6 of Sec.  552b(c) of 
Title 5 of the United States Code.
    The November 16, 2018 session of the Governing Board meeting will 
adjourn at 5:15 p.m.
    On Saturday, November 17, 2018, the Governing Board will convene in 
three closed sessions. During the first closed session, the Nominations 
Committee will meet from 7:30 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. to discuss and receive 
updates on nominations received for Governing Board vacancies for terms 
that begin on October 1, 2019. 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 
a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. As such, the 
discussions are protected by exemptions 2 and 6 of Sec.  552b(c) of 
Title 5 of the United States Code.
    The second closed session on November 17, 2018 scheduled from 8:30 
a.m. to 9:00 a.m. is to receive a briefing from Terry Mazany, Chair of 
the Search Committee for the Executive Director, on the status of the 
search process with a proposed timeline for the search. These 
discussions pertain solely to internal personnel rules and practices of 
an agency and information of a personal nature where disclosure would 
constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. As such, 
the discussions are protected by exemptions 2 and 6 of Sec.  552b(c) of 
Title 5 of the United States Code.
    Following these closed sessions, the Governing Board will meet in 
open session from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. From 9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m., 
the Governing Board will receive a final report from the Chair of the 
Ad Hoc Committee Terry Mazany on recommendations made by the Ad Hoc 
Committee on Measures of Postsecondary Preparedness.
    Following a 15 minute break, the Governing Board will receive 
reports from its standing committees from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. 
Action items for Governing Board consideration include the Governing 
Board Policy on Developing Student Achievement Levels for NAEP and a 
proposed Release Plan for the 2018 NAEP Technology and Engineering 
Literacy Assessment.
    From 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. the Governing Board will meet in its 
third closed session of the day to receive a briefing on the 2017 NAEP 
Writing Assessment. This meeting must be conducted in closed session 
because the assessment test items and data are secure and have not been 
released to the public. Public disclosure of the secure test items and 
data would significantly impede implementation of the NAEP assessment 
program if conducted in open session. Such matters are protected by 
exemption 9(B) of Sec.  552b(c) of Title 5 of the United States Code.
    The November 17, 2018 session of the Governing Board meeting will 
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 
beginning on Thursday, November 15, 2018, by 10:00 a.m. EST. 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 no later than 21 days 
prior to the meeting.
    Written comments may be submitted electronically or in hard copy to 
the attention of the Executive Officer/Designated Federal Official (see 
contact information noted above). Information on the Governing Board 
and its work can be found at www.nagb.gov.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Internet 
access to the 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 
Adobe website. 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 22, 2018.
Lisa Stooksberry,
Deputy Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), 
U. S. Department of Education.
[FR Doc. 2018-23495 Filed 10-26-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P