National Assessment Governing Board; Meeting, 8947-8948 [2014-03225]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 31 (Friday, February 14, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8947-8948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-03225]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


National Assessment Governing Board; Meeting

AGENCY: National Assessment Governing Board, U.S. Department of 
Education.

ACTION: Notice of Open and Closed Meeting Sessions.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda for 
the upcoming meeting of the National Assessment Governing Board (Board) 
and also describes the specific functions of the Board. Notice of this 
meeting is required under Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act. This notice is issued to provide members of the general 
public with an opportunity to attend and/or provide comments. 
Individuals who will need special accommodations in order to attend the 
meeting (e.g. 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 February 21, 2014. 
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: February 27-March 1, 2014.

Times

February 27: Committee Meetings:
    Assessment Development Committee: Closed Session: 1:15 p.m.-4:15 
p.m.
    Executive Committee: Open Session: 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
February 28: Full Board and Committee Meetings:
    Full Board: Open Session: 8:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.; Closed Session: 
12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.; Open Session: 1:45 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Committee Meetings:
    Reporting and Dissemination Committee (R&D): Open Session: 10:00 
a.m.-12:15 p.m.
    Assessment Development Committee (ADC): Open Session: 10:00 a.m.-
12:15 p.m.
    Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology (COSDAM): Open 
Session: 10:00 a.m.-11:20 a.m.; Closed Session: 11:20 a.m.-12:05 p.m.; 
Open session: 12:05 p.m.-12:15 p.m.
March 1: Full Board and Committee Meetings:
    Nominations Committee: Closed Session: 7:30 a.m.-8:15 a.m.
    Full Board: Closed Session: 8:15 a.m.-8:45 a.m.; Open Session 8:45-
8:50 a.m.; Closed Session: 8:50 a.m.-9:50 a.m.; Open Session: 10:00 
a.m.-12:00 p.m.
    Location: The Omni Shoreham, 2500 Calvert Street, Washington, DC 
20008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Munira Mwalimu, Executive Officer, 
National Assessment Governing Board, 800 North Capitol Street NW., 
Suite 825, Washington, DC 20002-4233, Telephone: (202) 357-6938.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Assessment Governing Board 
(Board) is established under section 302 of the National Assessment of 
Educational Progress Authorization Act.
    The Board is established to formulate policy guidelines for the 
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The 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, developing guidelines for reporting and 
disseminating results, and releasing initial NAEP results to the 
public. On February 27, 2014, from 1:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. the 
Assessment Development

[[Page 8948]]

Committee will meet in closed session to review secure NAEP test 
questions in grades 4 and 8 for the 2015 operational assessments in 
reading and mathematics. The Committee will review and discuss secure 
test items that cannot be discussed in an open meeting to protect the 
confidentiality of the secure assessment materials. Premature 
disclosure of these results would significantly impede implementation 
of the NAEP assessment program, and is therefore protected by exemption 
9(B) of section 552b(c) of Title 5 United States Code.
    On February 27, 2014, the Board's Executive Committee will convene 
in open session from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. to review and discuss the 
February 28-March 1, 2014 Board meeting agenda, receive a status report 
on the 2015 Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA), discuss Board 
Committee issues and challenges to be addressed by the respective Board 
Committees, and review the Board's ongoing work.
    On February 28, 2014, the full Board will meet in open session from 
8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. The Board will review and approve the February 
28-March 1, 2014 Board meeting agenda and meeting minutes from the 
December 6-7, 2013 Quarterly Board meeting. This session will be 
followed by a report from the Executive Director of the Governing 
Board, and updates on NCES and NAEP from the Director of the Institute 
of Education Sciences (IES). Thereafter, the Board will recess for 
Committee meetings from 10:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
    The Reporting and Dissemination Committee and the Assessment 
Development Committee will meet in open session from 10:00 a.m. to 
12:15 p.m. The Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology (COSDAM) 
will meet in open session from 10:00 a.m. to 11:20 a.m., in closed 
session from 11:20 a.m. to 12:05 p.m., and thereafter in open session 
from 12:05 p.m. to 12:15 p.m. During the closed session, COSDAM members 
will receive a briefing on student participation and response rates 
from the 2013 grade 12 NAEP Mathematics and Reading assessments. These 
data have not yet been released and therefore cannot be disclosed to 
the general public at this time. Premature disclosure of these secure 
data 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.
    Following the Committee meetings, the Board will convene in closed 
session from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. During this session, the full 
Board will receive a closed session briefing on the 2013 NAEP Reading 
and Mathematics Grade 12 Report Card results. The Board will receive an 
embargoed briefing on preliminary results, which will include secure 
test items, embargoed assessment data, and results that cannot be 
discussed in an open meeting prior to their official approval and 
release by the National Assessment Governing Board. Premature 
disclosure of these results would significantly impede implementation 
of the NAEP assessment program, and is therefore protected by exemption 
9(B) of section 552b(c) of Title 5 United States Code.
    The Board will meet in open session on February 28, 2014 from 1:45 
p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Presentation and discussion topics include the NAEP 
Technology and Engineering Literacy Assessment, Transition to NAEP 
Technology-Based Assessments, and the Board's 25th Anniversary 
Symposium. The February 28, 2014 session of the Board meeting is 
scheduled to adjourn at 5:00 p.m.
    On March 1, 2014, the Nominations Committee will meet in closed 
session from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. to discuss potential candidates for 
Board terms beginning October 1, 2014. The Committee's recommendations 
will be presented for full Board consideration in closed session from 
8:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. The Committee's discussions and Board review 
pertain solely to internal personnel rules and practices of an agency 
and 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 of 
the United States Code. Board action on the recommendations will be 
taken in open session at 8:45 a.m.
    On March 1, 2014, from 8:50 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. the full Board will 
receive a closed session briefing on the NAEP budget and costs for 
specific activities under current contracts, and independent government 
cost estimates from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 
staff on various options for proposed item development, data 
collection, scoring and analysis, and NAEP reporting for 2014-2017. 
Implications of the cost estimates and the available funds on future 
NAEP activities will also be discussed.
    The costs of specific activities budgeted under current contracts 
would disclose financial information that is proprietary, protected 
under Section 552b(c)(4) of Title 5 U.S.C. The discussion of 
independent government cost estimates for the NAEP contracts is 
necessary for ensuring that NAEP contracts meet congressionally 
mandated goals and adhere to Board policies on NAEP assessments 
available at www.nagb.org/policies.html. Public disclosure of this 
information would likely have an adverse financial effect on the NAEP 
program by providing contractors attending an unfair advantage in 
procurement and contract negotiations for NAEP. Therefore discussion of 
this information in open session would significantly impede 
implementation of a proposed agency action and is protected by 
exemption 9(B) of section 552b of Title 5 U.S.C.
    Following this closed briefing, the Board will meet in open session 
to discuss Board initiatives and ongoing work. The Board is scheduled 
to receive reports from the standing Committees and take action on 
Committee recommendations from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The March 1, 
2014 meeting is scheduled to adjourn at 12:00 p.m.
    A verbatim transcript of the meeting, 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 20002, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 
Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You may 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) on the 
Internet at https://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at https://get.adobe.com/reader. If you have questions about using 
PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free at 1-
866-512-1800; or in the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-0000.

     Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/.


    Dated: February 10, 2014.
Cornelia S. Orr,
Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), U.S. 
Department of Education.
[FR Doc. 2014-03225 Filed 2-13-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P