[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