U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today announced the appointment of Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne to the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB).

Kempthorne was elected as Idaho's 30th governor in 1998. Previously he served in the U.S. Senate for six years. He will serve a four-year term, which began Dec. 10, 2001, and expires Sept. 30, 2004.

"As a governor, Dirk Kempthorne is on the front line of education reform," Paige said. "His strong background will enable him to make valuable contributions to board and to further strengthen its status as a reliable source of national measures of student performance."

The 25-member board develops policy guidance for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the only continuing and representative assessment of what students know and can do in various subjects.

NAEP, also known as "the Nation's Report Card," is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. Since 1969, assessments have been conducted periodically in reading, mathematics, science, writing, U.S. history, civics, geography, and the arts.

The board is involved in various activities, including:

• selecting the subjects to be tested;
• identifying learning objectives for each grade tested;
• ensuring that all items selected for use in the assessment are free from racial, cultural, gender or regional bias;
• identifying appropriate achievement goals

The independent, bipartisan board was established by the Hawkins-Stafford Elementary and Secondary School Improvement Amendments of 1988 (P.L. 100-297). The secretary selects members from nominees proposed by NAGB itself in categories prescribed by law.

The board must include governors or former governors, legislators, educators, testing experts and curriculum specialists, as well as business and industry representatives, parents and persons representing the general public.

###

Top

Back to January 2002