Meetings: National Assessment Governing Board,

[Federal Register: February 19, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 33)]

[Notices]

[Page 8337-8338]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr19fe99-48]

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

National Assessment Governing Board; Meeting

AGENCY: National Assessment Governing Board; Education.

ACTION: Notice of partially closed meeting.

SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a forthcoming meeting of the National Assessment Governing Board. This notice also describes the functions of the Board. Notice of this meeting is required under Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. This document is intended to notify the general public of their opportunity to attend.

DATE: March 4-6, 1999.

TIME: March 4--Achievement Levels Committee, 1:30-2:30 p.m., (closed), 2:30-4:00 p.m., (open); Subject Area Committee #1, 2:00-3:00 p.m., (closed); 3:00 p.m.-4:00, (open); and Executive Committee, 4:00-5:30 p.m., (open), 5:30-6:00 p.m., (closed).

March 5--Full Board, 8:30-10:00 a.m., (open); Subject Area Committee #1, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., (open); Reporting and Dissemination Committee, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., (open); Achievement Levels Committee, 10:00-12:00 (open); Full Board, 12:00-4:15 p.m., (open). March 6--Nominations Committee, 8:00-9:00 a.m., (open); Full Board, 9:00-11:30 a.m., (open); adjournment, 11:30 a.m.

LOCATION: Madison Hotel, 15th and M Streets, NW, Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Ann Wilmer, Operations Officer, National Assessment Governing Board, Suite 825, 800 North Capitol Street, NW, Washington, DC 20002-4233, Telephone: (202) 357-6938.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Assessment Governing Board is established under section 412 of the National Education Statistics Act of 1994 (Title IV of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994) (Pub. L. 103-382).

[[Page 8338]]

The Board is established to formulate policy guidelines for the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The Board is responsible for selecting subject areas to be assessed, developing assessment objectives, identifying appropriate achievement goals for each grade and subject tested, and establishing standards and procedures for interstate and national comparisons. Under Pub. L. 105-78, the National Assessment Governing Board is also granted exclusive authority over developing the Voluntary National Tests pursuant to contract number RJ97153001.

On March 4, the Achievement Levels Committee will meet in partially closed session. From 1:30-2:30 p.m., the meeting will be closed to permit the Committee to review the results of the civics and writing standards setting activities for the National Assessment examinations. This portion of the meeting must be closed because references will be made to specific items from the assessment and premature disclosure of the information presented for review would be likely to significantly frustrate implementation of a proposed agency action. Such matters are protected by exemption (9)(B) of Section 552b(c) of Title 5 U.S.C. In open session, 2:30 to 4:00 p.m., the Committee will review other civics and writing information from the national assessment, and discuss the draft report to Congress regarding the quality of the achievement levels setting process.

Subject Area Committee #1 will hold in a partially closed meeting. From 2:00-3:00 p.m. the meeting will be closed to permit the Committee to review reading passages that have been developed for inclusion in the Voluntary National Test in 4th grade reading. This portion of the meeting must be closed because references will be made to specific items from the assessment and premature disclosure of the information presented for review would be likely to significantly frustrate 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. In open session, 2:00-4:00 p.m. Subject Area Committee #1 will discuss the IEA civic Education Study, the new NAEP Foreign Language assessment development, and activities related to the Voluntary National Test in 4th grade reading.

Also on March 4, the Executive Committee will meet in partially closed session. The open portion of the meeting will be from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at which time the Committee will receive updates on Voluntary National Tests, NAEP reauthorization, and NAEP design for 2000-2010. From 5:30-6:00 p.m., the Committee will meet in closed session to discuss the development of cost estimates for the NAEP contract. This portion 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. The discussion of this information would be likely to significantly frustrate 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 March 5, the full Board will convene in open session from 8:30- 10:00 a.m. In addition to a report from the Executive Director of the National Assessment Governing Board, and an update on NAEP activities, the agenda for this session of the meeting includes a report and discussion on Voluntary National Tests: purposes, definitions, and reporting plans.

Beginning at 10:00 a.m. there will be open meetings of the standing committees.

Subject Area Committee #1 will meet from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. to discuss NAEP math development activities, national trends in math standards and assessments, the Achieve math project, and activities related to the Voluntary National Test in 8th grade mathematics.

The Design and Methodology Committee will meet from 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. to take action on a change in the proposed sampling for NAEP 2000. The agenda also includes the following action items for the Voluntary National Tests (VNT): (1) Accommodations for limited English proficient students, and (2) the revisions in the research plan for year 2 of the (VNT).

Also, the Reporting and Dissemination Committee will meet from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. The Committee will be reviewing the following documents: (1) NAGB policy on reporting and dissemination of National Assessment results, (2) NAEP 1998 Reading Report release, and (3) schedule for release for future NAEP reports. Other agenda items to be considered by the Reporting and Dissemination Committee are related to the reporting of specific data: private school results; categories for race; and students with disabilities and limited English proficiency.

The Full Board will reconvene in open session from 12:00-4:15 p.m. The Board will hear a briefing on the NAEP 1998 Reading Report, and NAEP Internet Item Release. The Board will discuss the National Assessment Design: 2000-2010, and the NAEP report to Congress on achievement levels. Also, the Board will hear a briefing on the recommendations for NAEP 2000, and receive a follow-up report on the NAGB tenth anniversary conference.

On March 6, from 8:00-9:00 a.m., there will be an open meeting of the Nominations Committee. The Committee will consider the nominations process and schedule for 1999.

Beginning at 9:00 a.m., until adjournment, approximately 11:30 a.m., the full Board will reconvene to discuss NAGB: its cultures, and traditions and to receive reports from its various standing committees.

Summaries of the activities of the closed sessions and related matters, which 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 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Roy Truby, Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board.

[FR Doc. 99-4086Filed2-18-99; 8:45 am]

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