[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 141 (Thursday, July 23, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39559-39560]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-19586]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
DATES: August 6-8, 1998.
Time: August 6--Design and Methodology Committee, 1:00-4:00 p.m.
(open), Subject Area Committee #2, 3:00-5:00 p.m., (open); and
Executive Committee, 5:00-6:00 p.m., (open), 6:00-7:00 p.m., (closed).
August 7--Full Board, 8:30-10:00 a.m., (open); Subject Area Committees
#1, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 Noon, (open); Achievement Levels Committee 10:00
a.m.-12:00 Noon, (open); Reporting and Dissemination Committee, 10:00
a.m.-12:00 Noon, (open); Full Board, 12:00 noon-4:30 p.m., (open).
August 8--Full Board, 9:00 a.m. until adjournment, approximately 12:00
Noon, (open).
Location: Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marty Ann Wilmer, Operations Officer,
National Assessment Governing Board, Suite 825, 800 North Capitol
Street, NW, Washington, D.C., 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).
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 Public Law 105-78, the
National Assessment Governing Board is also granted exclusive authority
over developing the Voluntary National Tests
[[Page 39560]]
pursuant to contract number RJ97153001.
On Thursday, August 6, there will be a meeting of three committees
of the Governing Board. The Design and Methodology Committee will meet
in open session from 1:00-4:00 p.m. to take action on the Validity
Research Agenda, the policies on Voluntary National Tests Pilot
Testing, and VNT Accommodations. The Committee will hear briefings on
design issues pertaining to the VNT and NAEP.
The Subject Area Committee #2 will meet in open session from 3:00-
5:00 p.m. The Committee will receive an update on the NAEP 2000
assessments, the math content, and VNT item development issues and
timelines. The Committee will take action on the AIR Work Plan for
Calculator Access and Use.
The Executive Committee will meet on August 6 from 5:00 to 6:00
p.m. in open session. In the open session from 5:00-6:00 p.m., the
Executive Committee will be briefed by staff on the following items:
NAEP and the Voluntary National Tests projects, the status of the grant
program for secondary analysis of the NAEP data, and NAEP redesign
issues.
The Executive Committee will hold a partially closed meeting on
August 6, from 6:00-7:00 p.m., to discuss the development of cost
estimates for current and future contract initiatives for NAEP.
Also during, the same closed session, the Executive Committee will
discuss processed modifications in the Voluntary National Tests
contract to make decisions regarding exercising the second option year
of the contract. These matters concerning the NAEP and Voluntary
National Tests contracts must be discussed in closed session because
public disclosure of this information would likely have an adverse
financial effect on these programs. The discussion of this information
would be likely to significantly frustrate implementation of proposed
agency actions if conducted in open session. Such matters are protected
by exemption 9(B) of Section 552b(c) of Title 5 U.S.C.
On August 7, the full Board will convene in open session beginning
at 8:30 a.m. The agenda for this session of the full Board meeting
includes approval of the agenda, a report from the Executive Director,
and an update on the NAEP project. This session will conclude with a
presentation by representatives of the teacher's unions on the Teacher
Perspective on NAEP and Voluntary National Tests.
Between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon, there will be open meetings of
the following committees: Achievement Levels, Reporting and
Dissemination, and Subject Area Committee #1. The Achievement Levels
Committee will hear a report on the result of the Field Trials in the
civics and writing assessments. The Committee will take action on the
NAEP Design document. At 11:00 a.m. the Committee will meet jointly
with the Design and Methodology Committee to hear a briefing on linking
issues regarding the Voluntary National Tests.
Agenda items for the Reporting and Dissemination Committee include
review of schedule and plans for release of future NAEP reports; review
of plans for the reporting of--district-level results from existing
state samples and private school results; review of the NAGB policy
issues on reporting and dissemination of the National Assessment,
namely rank-ordering of state-by-state data and primacy of achievement-
level results. The Committee will hear briefings on the plans for
public hearings on VNT issues, and work-plan activities regarding the
reporting and the utilization of VNT data.
Subject Area Committee #1 will receive an update on NAEP assessment
activities and VNT item development issues and timeline. The Committee
will take action on the AIR proposal for determining readability of the
VNT.
The full Board will reconvene at 12:00 noon. The agenda items
during this period include briefings on the following: National Academy
of Sciences Linking Study; Discussion of the NAS Letter Report on VNT
Item Development, NCES Task Force on State Participation in NAEP; and
an Update on the Voluntary National Tests project. The Board recess is
scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
On Saturday, August 8, the full Board will meet in open session
from 9:00 a.m. until adjournment, approximately 12:00 noon. The agenda
for this session is an update on the Voluntary National Tests project
and the presentation of reports from the various Board committee
meetings.
A summary of the activities of the closed and partially closed
sessions and other related matters which are informative to the public
and consistent with the policy of the section 5 U.S.C. 552b(c), will be
available to the public within 14 days after 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, D.C., from
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Roy Truby,
Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board.
[FR Doc. 98-19586 Filed 7-22-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-M
