[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 210 (Wednesday, November 1, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50638-50640]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-23751]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


National Assessment Governing Board Quarterly Board Meeting

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 16-18, 2017 
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 Sec.  
10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).

DATES: The Quarterly Board Meeting will be held on the following dates:
    <bullet> November 16, 2017 from 11:15 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
    <bullet> November 17, 2017 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
    <bullet> November 18, 2017 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Washington Marriott Georgetown, 1221 22nd Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20037.

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: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c489b1aaadb6a5ea89b3a5a8ada9b184a1a0eaa3abb2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4409312a2d36256a093325282d29310421206a232b32">[email protected]</span></a>.

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. 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.
    The Governing Board is established to formulate policy for the 
National

[[Page 50639]]

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 16-17, 2017 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 http://nagb.gov/what-we-do/board-committee-reports-and-agendas.html.

Detailed Meeting Agenda: November 16-18, 2017

November 16: Committee Meetings

    Assessment Development Committee (ADC): Open Session: 11:15 a.m. to 
1:30 p.m.
    Ad Hoc Committee on Measures of Postsecondary Preparedness: Open 
Session: 1:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
    Executive Committee: Open Session: 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Closed 
Session: 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

November 17: Full Governing Board and Committee Meetings

    Full Governing Board: Open Session: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; 3:30 
p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Committee Meetings

    ADC: Open Session: 12:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
    Reporting and Dissemination (R&D): Open Session 12:45 p.m. to 2:15 
p.m.
    ADC and R&D Joint Session: Open Session: 2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
    Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology (COSDAM): Open 
Session: 12:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Closed Session: 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 
p.m.

November 18: Full Governing Board and Committee Meetings

    Nominations Committee: Closed Session: 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.
    Full Governing Board: Open Session: 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
    On Thursday, November 16, 2017, ADC will meet in open session from 
11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thereafter, the Ad Hoc Committee on Measures of 
Postsecondary Preparedness will meet in open session from 1:45 p.m. to 
3:45 p.m. The Executive Committee will convene in open session from 
4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and in closed session from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 
p.m. During the closed session, the Executive Committee will receive 
and discuss cost estimates for implementing NAEP's Assessment Schedule 
for 2014-2024, and the implications of cost and funding estimates for 
the NAEP Assessment Schedule in relation to the Governing Board's 
Strategic Vision and draft policy priorities for the NAEP Assessment 
Schedule. 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 confidential cost 
details and proprietary contract costs of current 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 17, 2017, the Governing Board will meet in open 
session and also via webcast from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
    From 8:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m., the Governing Board will review and 
approve the November 17-18, 2017 Governing Board meeting agenda and 
meeting minutes from the August 2017 Quarterly Board Meeting. 
Thereafter, the Governing Board Chairman will provide remarks. From 
8:45 a.m. to 9:15 a.m., the Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, will 
administer the oath of office to five new members and one reappointed 
member and provide remarks. See the news release at the following link: 
https://www.nagb.org/news-and-events/news-releases/2017/release-20170928-six-leaders-named.html.
    On Friday, November 17, 2017, the Governing Board will hear from a 
panel of experts on international assessments, Thinking Beyond Borders: 
The Future of Student Assessment, from 9:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This 
session will be available via webcast online at www.nagb.gov on the day 
of the event. Members of the public may view the session in person on a 
first come, first serve basis, with an overflow room also available as 
needed.
    At 12:30 p.m., the Governing Board will recess for a 15 minute 
break and convene for standing committee meetings which will take place 
from 12:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. The ADC and R&D Committees will meet in 
open session to conduct regular business. Thereafter, the two 
committees will meet in an open joint session from 2:15 p.m. to 3:15 
p.m.
    On Friday November 17, 2017, COSDAM will meet in open session from 
12:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and in closed session from 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 
p.m. During the closed session, COSDAM will discuss information 
regarding analyses of the 2017 bridge studies for paper-and-pencil and 
digital-based assessments, and discuss secure NAEP Reading and 
Mathematics data. This part of the meeting must be conducted in closed 
session because the analysis involves the use of secure data for the 
NAEP Reading and Mathematics assessments on digital-based platforms. 
Public disclosure of secure 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 of 
Title 5 U.S.C.
    Following the committee meetings, from 3:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., the 
Governing Board will take a 15 minute break and thereafter meet in open 
session from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
    From 3:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., the Board will hear remarks from new 
members. The Governing Board will then receive their annual ethics 
briefing conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of 
General Counsel Ethics Division staff from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
    The November 17, 2017 session will adjourn at 4:30 p.m.
    On November 18, 2017, the Nominations Committee will meet in closed 
session from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. The Committee will discuss nominees 
for Governing Board vacancies for terms beginning October 1, 2018. 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 Governing Board will meet in open session on November 18, 2017 
from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. From 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. the Governing 
Board will engage in discussion on the international assessment panel 
that was convened on Friday, November 17, 2017. Then, from 9:30 a.m. to 
10:30 a.m., the Governing Board will discuss the draft resolution on 
Governing Board priorities for the NAEP Assessment Schedule vis-a-vis 
the Governing Board's Strategic Vision #9, which is to develop policy 
approaches to revise the NAEP assessment subjects and schedule.

[[Page 50640]]

    Following this session, the Governing Board will take a break from 
10:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
    From 10:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. the Governing Board will receive 
committee reports and take action on the Release Plan for the 2017 NAEP 
Reading and Mathematics Report Cards for Grades 4 and 8.
    From 11:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., the Governing Board will engage in 
discussion on the NAEP Framework Policy Revision pursuant to the 
Governing Board's Strategic Vision #5, which is to develop new 
approaches to update NAEP subject area frameworks.
    The November 18, 2017 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 16, 2017 by 10:00 a.m. ET. 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.
    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 Web site. 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 27, 2017.
William J. Bushaw,
Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), U.S. 
Department of Education.
[FR Doc. 2017-23751 Filed 10-31-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P


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