[Federal Register: July 15, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 135)]
[Notices]
[Page 41787-41788]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15jy03-46]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Assessment Governing Board; Meeting
AGENCY: National Assessment Governing Board; Education.
ACTION: Notice of open meeting and partially closed meetings.
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SUMMARY: The 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 members of the
general public of their opportunity to attend. Individuals who will
need special accommodations in order to attend the meeting (i.e.;
interpreting services, assistive listening devices, materials in
alternative format) should notify Munira Mwalimu at 202-357-6938 or
at Munira.Mwalimu@ed.gov
no later than July 25, 2003. We will attempt to
meet requests after this date, but cannot guarantee availability of the
requested accommodation. The meeting site is accessible to individuals
with disabilities.
DATES: July 31-August 2, 2003.
Times:
July 31:
Committee Meetings:
Assessment Development Committee: Closed Session--12 p.m. to 3 p.m.;
Ad Hoc Committee on Background Questions: Open Session--3:30 p.m. to 5
p.m.;
Executive Committee: Open Session--5 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Closed Session 6
p.m. to 7 p.m.
August 1:
Full Board: Open Session--8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Committee Meetings:
Assessment Development Committee: Closed Session--10 a.m. to 10:30
a.m.; Open Session--10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.;
Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology: Open Session--10 a.m.
to 12 p.m.;
Reporting and Dissemination Committee: Open Session--10 a.m. to 12
p.m.;
Full Board: Closed Session--12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.; Open Session--1:30
p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
August 2:
Full Board: Open Session--8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Location: Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City, 1250 South Hayes Street,
Arlington, VA 22202.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Munira Mwalimu, Operations Officer,
National Assessment Governing Board, 800 North Capitol Street, NW.,
Suite 825, 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, as amended.
The Board is established to formulate policy guidelines for the
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The Board's
responsibilities include selecting subject areas to be assessed,
developing assessment objectives, developing appropriate student
achievement levels for each grade and subject tested, developing
guidelines for reporting and disseminating results, and developing
standards and procedures for interstate and national comparisons.
On July 31, the Assessment Development Committee will meet in
closed session from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. to review secure test items for
the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2005 Science
Assessment. The meeting must be conducted in closed session as
disclosure of proposed test items from the 2005 NAEP Science Assessment
would significantly impede implementation of the NAEP program, and is
therefore protected by exemption 9(B) of section 552b(c) of Title 5
U.S.C.
The Executive Committee will meet in open session on July 31, from
5 p.m. to 6 p.m. The committee will then meet in closed session from 6
p.m. to 7 p.m. for two purposes. First, the committee will discuss
independent government cost estimates for contracts related to the
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). This part 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 impeded 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.
Second, in the closed session, the Executive Committee will discuss
a personnel action pertaining to nomination of the Board Vice Chair.
This discussion pertains solely to internal personnel rules and
practices of an agency and will disclose information of a personal
nature where disclosure would constitute an unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy. As such, the discussions are protected by exemptions
2 and 6 of section 552b(c) of Title 5 U.S.C.
On August 1, the full Board will meet in open session from 8:30
a.m. to 10 a.m. The Board will approve the agenda, hear the executive
Director's report. and receive an update on the work of the
[[Page 41788]]
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) from the Associate
Commissioner of NCES, Val Plisko.
From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on August 1, the Board's standing
committees--the Assessment Development Committee; the Committee on
Standards, Design, and Methodology; and the Reporting and Dissemination
Committee--will meet in open session, with one exception. The
Assessment Development Committee will meet in closed session on August
1 from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. to receive a briefing on the 2002 NAEP
Oral Reading Grade Four Special Study results. The meeting must be
conducted in closed session because results of the Oral Reading Study
have not been released to the public; premature disclosure of the
information would 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.
The full Board will meet in closed session on August 1, 2003 from
12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. to receive results of the 2003 NAEP Reading and
Mathematics Assessments. This session must be closed because the
results of the Reading and Mathematics Assessments are under
development and have not been released to the public Premature
disclosure of the information would 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.
The full Board will meet in open session on August 1 from 1:30
p.m.-4:15 p.m. The Board will receive an update on the 2007 Reading
Framework Project at 1:30 p.m. followed by a presentation by former
Vice Board Chair Michael Nettles from 2:45 p.m. to 3:35 p.m. This
presentation will be followed by a report from the Ad Hoc Committee on
State Sampling, after which the August 1 session of the board meeting
will adjourn.
The full Board will meet in open session from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
on August 2. The Board will review video clips on recent NAEP releases
from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., followed by a report on NAEP Special Studies/
Technology Based Assessments from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The Board will
then receive an update on the work of the NAEP 12th Grade Commission
from 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Board actions on policies and Committee
reports are scheduled to take place between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., when
the August 2, 2003 session of the board meeting will adjourn.
Detailed minutes of the meeting, including summaries of the
activities of the closed sessions and related matters that 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 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Standard
Time.
Dated: July 10, 2003.
Charles E. Smith,
Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board.
[FR Doc. 03-17868 Filed 7-14-03; 8:45 am]
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