[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 33 (Thursday, February 20, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9964-9966]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-02864]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

National Assessment Governing Board


Committee and Quarterly Board Meetings

AGENCY: National Assessment Governing Board, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of open and closed meetings.

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SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the agenda, time, and instructions to 
access the National Assessment Governing Board's (hereafter referred to 
as the Board or Governing Board) standing committee meetings and 
quarterly Governing Board meeting. This notice provides information to 
members of the public who may be interested in attending the meetings 
and/or providing written comments related to the work of the Governing 
Board. The meetings will be held in person, as noted below. A 
registration link will be posted on the Governing Board's website, 
www.nagb.gov, five (5) business days prior to each meeting.

DATES: The Quarterly Board Meeting will be held on the following dates:
     March 6, 2025, from 7:15 a.m. to 3:25 p.m., ET.

ADDRESSES: Hotel AKA Alexandria, 625 First Street, Alexandria, VA 
22314.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Angela Scott, Designated Federal 
Officer (DFO) for the Governing Board, 800 North Capitol Street NW, 
Suite 825, Washington, DC 20002, telephone: (202) 357-7502, fax: (202) 
357-6945, email: [email protected].

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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Statutory Authority and Function: The 
Governing Board is established under the National Assessment of 
Educational Progress Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9621). Information on 
the Governing Board and its work can be found at www.nagb.gov. Notice 
of the meetings is required under section 1009(a)(2) of 5 U.S.C. 
chapter 10 (commonly known as the Federal Advisory Committee Act). The 
Governing Board formulates policy for the National Assessment of 
Educational Progress (NAEP) administered by the National Center for 
Education Statistics (NCES). The Governing Board's responsibilities 
include:
    (1) selecting the subject areas to be assessed; (2) developing 
appropriate student achievement levels; (3) developing assessment 
objectives and testing specifications that produce an assessment that 
is valid and reliable, and are based on relevant widely accepted 
professional standards; (4) developing a process for review of the 
assessment which includes the active participation of teachers, 
curriculum specialists, local school administrators, parents, and 
concerned members of the public; (5) designing the methodology of the 
assessment to ensure that assessment items are valid and reliable, in 
consultation with appropriate technical experts in measurement and 
assessment, content and subject matter, sampling, and other technical 
experts who engage in large scale surveys; (6) measuring student 
academic achievement in grades 4, 8, and 12 in the authorized academic 
subjects; (7) developing guidelines for reporting and disseminating 
results; (8) developing standards and procedures for regional and 
national comparisons; (9) taking appropriate actions needed to improve 
the form, content use, and reporting of results of an assessment; and 
(10) planning and executing the initial public release of NAEP results.

Standing Committee Meetings

    The Governing Board's standing committees will meet to conduct 
regularly scheduled work. Standing committee meeting agendas and 
meeting materials will be posted on the Governing Board's website, 
www.nagb.gov, no later than five (5) business days prior to the 
meetings. Minutes of prior standing committee meetings are available at 
https://www.nagb.gov/governing-board/quarterly-board-meetings.html.

Standing Committee Meetings

Thursday, March 6, 2025

Assessment Development Committee (In-Person Meeting)
11:20 a.m.-12:20 p.m. (ET), Closed Session
12:20 p.m.-1:20 p.m. (ET), Open Session
    The Assessment Development Committee will meet on Thursday, March 
6, 2025, from 11:20 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. The committee will meet in closed 
session on Thursday, March 6, 2025, from 11:20 a.m.-12:20 p.m. to 
review findings from 2024 NAEP Reading and Mathematics Pilot 
Assessments. This review must be conducted in closed session because 
the content includes secure assessment data that has not been released 
to the public. Public disclosure of this information would 
significantly impede the implementation of the NAEP assessment program 
if conducted in open session. Such matters are protected by exemption 
9(B) of the Government in the Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b. The 
committee will meet in open session from 12:20 p.m.-1:20 p.m. to review 
Subject-Specific Contextual Variables for 2028 Reading, Mathematics, 
and Science Assessments.
Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology (In-Person Meeting)
11:20 a.m.-12:20 p.m. (ET), Closed Session
12:20 p.m.-1:20 p.m. (ET), Open Session
    The Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology (COSDAM) will 
meet on Thursday, March 6, 2025, from 11:20 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. The 
committee will meet in closed session from 11:20 a.m. to 12:20 p.m., to 
discuss the findings from the 2024 Pilot Studies of Multi-Stage Testing 
and Item Difficulty Distributions. This session must be closed because 
it will include findings and presentations of items that have not been 
released to the public. Public disclosure of this confidential 
information would significantly impede implementation of the NAEP 
assessment program if conducted in open session. Such matters are 
protected by exemption 9(B) of the Government in the Sunshine Act, 5 
U.S.C. 552b. The committee will convene in open session from 12:20 p.m. 
to 1:20 p.m. to discuss the 2025 COSDAM priorities--Achievement Levels 
and Practical Significance.
Reporting and Dissemination Committee (In-Person Meeting)
11:20 a.m.-1:20 p.m. (ET), Open Session
    The Reporting and Dissemination Committee will meet on Thursday, 
March 6, 2025, from 11:20 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. in open session. The 
meeting will begin with member remarks and an overview of agenda topics 
from 11:20 to 11:35 a.m. The committee will review Core Contextual 
Questionnaire items from 11:35 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. From 12:20 p.m. to 
1:20 p.m., the committee will discuss implementation of the Board's 
release plan for the 2024 NAEP Reading and Mathematics, Grades 4 and 8 
Release.

Quarterly Governing Board Meeting

    The plenary sessions of the Governing Board's March 2025 quarterly 
meeting will be held on the following dates and times:

Thursday, March 6, 2025

8:00 a.m.-3:25 p.m. (ET) (In-Person Meeting)
8:00 a.m.-8:35 a.m. (ET), Open Session
8:35 a.m.-11:05 a.m. (ET), Closed Session
1:20 p.m.-3:25 p.m. (ET) Open Session
    On Thursday, March 6, 2025, the plenary session of the quarterly 
Governing Board meeting will convene in open session from 8:00 a.m. to 
8:35 a.m. and 1:20 p.m. to 3:25 p.m., and in closed session from 8:35 
a.m. to 11:05 a.m. From 8:00 a.m. to 8:05 a.m., Governor Beverly 
Perdue, Chair of the Governing Board, will welcome members, review and 
approve the March 6, 2025, quarterly Governing Board meeting agenda, 
and review and approve the minutes from the November 14-15, 2024, 
Governing Board meeting. From 8:05 a.m. to 8:15 a.m., Lesley Muldoon, 
Governing Board Executive Director, will provide updates on the Board's 
work. From 8:15 a.m. to 8:25 a.m., the Board will receive an update 
from NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr. Following a brief transitional 
break, the Board will meet in closed session from 8:35 a.m. to 11:05 
a.m. From 8:35 a.m. to 10:35 a.m. the Board will receive a briefing 
from NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr on the NAEP Budget and Contracts and 
discuss the Assessment Schedule. These briefings and discussions may 
impact current and future NAEP contracts and budgets and must be kept 
confidential to maintain the integrity of the federal acquisition 
process. Public disclosure of this confidential information would 
significantly impede implementation of

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the NAEP assessment program if conducted in open session. Such matters 
are protected by exemption 9(B) of the Government in the Sunshine Act, 
5 U.S.C. 552b.
    The Board will continue in closed session from 10:35 a.m. to 11:05 
a.m. to discuss the 2025 slate of finalists to be submitted to the 
Secretary of Education for Governing Board membership terms beginning 
October 1, 2025. This session must be closed because the discussion 
pertains to information of a personal nature where disclosure would 
constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. As such, 
the discussions are protected by exemption 6 of the Government in the 
Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b.
    The Board will reconvene in open session. From 1:35 p.m. to 1:50 
p.m., Governing Board members will discuss general topics of interest 
related to NAEP and the Board. From 1:50 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., the Board 
will discuss the AI Landscape in Large Scale Assessment and potential 
implications for NAEP. The Board will discuss and take action on the 
Assessment Framework Development Policy from 2:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. 
From 3:15 p.m. to 3:25 p.m., the Board will take action on the 2025 
slate of finalists to be submitted to the Secretary of Education for 
Governing Board membership terms beginning October 1, 2025. The 
Thursday, March 6, 2025, session of the meeting will adjourn at 3:25 
p.m.

Instructions for Accessing and Attending the Meetings

    Registration: Members of the public may attend the March 6, 2025, 
meetings of the full Governing Board and subcommittee meetings in 
person. A link to the final meeting agenda and information on how to 
register for the open sessions will be posted on the Governing Board's 
website, www.nagb.gov, no later than five (5) business days prior to 
the meeting.
    Public Comment: Written comments related to the work of the 
Governing Board and its standing committees may be submitted to the 
attention of the DFO, either via email to [email protected] or in 
hard copy to the address listed above. Written comments related to the 
March 6, 2025, Governing Board meeting should be submitted no later 
than close of business on February 26, 2025, and should reference the 
relevant agenda item.
    Access to Records of the Meeting: Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 1009, the 
public may inspect the meeting materials and other Governing Board 
records at 800 North Capitol Street NW, Suite 825, Washington, DC 
20002, by emailing [email protected] to schedule an appointment. The 
official verbatim transcripts of the open meeting sessions will be 
available for public inspection no later than 30 calendar days 
following each meeting. Requests for the verbatim transcriptions may be 
made via email to the DFO.
    Reasonable Accommodations: The meeting location 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 DFO listed in this notice by close of business on February 
26, 2025.
    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, section 301--National 
Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9621).

Elizabeth Schneider,
Deputy Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), 
U.S. Department of Education.
[FR Doc. 2025-02864 Filed 2-19-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P