Notice2026-02515
Committee and Quarterly Board Meetings
Primary source
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Published
February 9, 2026
Issuing agencies
Education DepartmentNational Assessment Governing Board
Abstract
This notice sets forth the agenda, time, and instructions to access the National Assessment Governing Board's (hereafter referred to as the Board or Governing Board) standing committee meetings and quarterly Governing Board meeting. This notice provides information to members of the public who may be interested in attending the meetings and/or providing written comments related to the work of the Governing Board. The meetings will be held either in person and/or virtually, as noted below. Members of the public must register in advance to attend all meetings virtually. A registration link will be posted on the Governing Board's website, www.nagb.gov, five (5) business days prior to each meeting.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 26 (Monday, February 9, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 26 (Monday, February 9, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5752-5754]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-02515]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Assessment Governing Board
Committee and Quarterly Board Meetings
AGENCY: National Assessment Governing Board, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of open and closed meetings.
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SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the agenda, time, and instructions to
access the National Assessment Governing Board's (hereafter referred to
as the Board or Governing Board) standing committee meetings and
quarterly Governing Board meeting. This notice provides information to
members of the public who may be interested in attending the meetings
and/or providing written comments related to the work of the Governing
Board. The meetings will be held either in person and/or virtually, as
noted below. Members of the public must register in advance to attend
all meetings virtually. A registration link will be posted on the
Governing Board's website, <a href="http://www.nagb.gov">www.nagb.gov</a>, five (5) business days prior
to each meeting.
DATES: The Quarterly Board Meeting and Standing Committee meetings
(virtual) will be held on the following dates:
Quarterly Board Meeting
March 5, 2026, from 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., CST
March 6, 2026, from 7:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., CST
ADDRESSES: Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Houston--Greenway Plaza, 6 East
Greenway Plaza, Houston, TX 77046.
Standing Committee Meetings
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Nominations Committee (Virtual)
5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. (ET)
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Executive Committee (Virtual)
4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. (ET)
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Assessment Development Committee (Virtual)
4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. (ET)
Monday, March 9, 2026
Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology (Virtual)
10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (ET)
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Reporting and Dissemination Committee (Virtual)
1:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m. (ET)
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Angela Scott, Designated Federal
Officer (DFO) for the Governing Board, 400 Maryland Avenue SW,
Washington, DC 20202, telephone: (202) 245-6234, email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#88c9e6efede4e9a6dbebe7fcfcc8edeca6efe7fe"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2a6b444d4f464b047949455e5e6a4f4e044d455c">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Statutory Authority and Function: The Governing Board is
established under the National Assessment of Educational Progress
Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9621). Information on the Governing Board
and its work can be found at <a href="http://www.nagb.gov">www.nagb.gov</a>. Notice of the meetings is
required under section 1009(a)(2) of 5 U.S.C. chapter 10 (commonly
known as the Federal Advisory Committee Act). The Governing Board
formulates policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress
(NAEP) administered by the National Center for Education Statistics
(NCES). The Governing Board's responsibilities include:
(1) selecting the subject areas to be assessed; (2) developing
appropriate student achievement levels; (3) developing assessment
objectives and testing specifications that produce an assessment that
is valid and reliable, and are based on relevant widely accepted
professional standards; (4) developing a process for review of the
assessment which includes the active participation of teachers,
curriculum specialists, local school administrators, parents, and
concerned members of the public; (5) designing the methodology of the
assessment to ensure that assessment items are valid and reliable, in
consultation with appropriate technical experts in measurement and
assessment, content and subject matter, sampling, and other technical
experts who engage in large scale surveys; (6) measuring student
academic achievement in grades 4, 8, and 12 in the authorized academic
subjects; (7) developing guidelines for reporting and disseminating
results; (8) developing standards and procedures for regional and
national comparisons; (9) taking appropriate actions needed to improve
the form, content use, and reporting of results of an assessment; and
(10) planning and executing the initial public release of NAEP results.
Standing Committee Meetings
The Governing Board's standing committees will meet to conduct
regularly scheduled work. Standing committee meeting agendas and
meeting materials will be posted on the Governing Board's website,
<a href="http://www.nagb.gov">www.nagb.gov</a>, no later than five (5) business days prior to the
meetings. Members of the public may attend the open sessions and can
register via the website. Minutes of prior standing committee meetings
are available at <a href="https://www.nagb.gov/governing-board/quarterly-board-meetings.html">https://www.nagb.gov/governing-board/quarterly-board-meetings.html</a>.
Standing Committee Meetings
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Nominations Committee (Virtual)
5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. (ET), Closed Session
The Nominations Committee will meet in closed session on Tuesday,
February 10, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to review and discuss
the finalists for Governing Board vacancies and to finalize its
recommendations for the 2026 slate of nominations to be submitted to
the board for consideration and action. This discussion pertains to
information of a personal nature where disclosure would constitute a
clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. As such, these
discussions are protected by exemption 6 of the Government Sunshine
Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b. 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(6).
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Executive Committee (Virtual)
4:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. (ET), Open Session
4:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. (ET), Closed Session
The Executive Committee will meet in open session on Tuesday,
February 17, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., followed by a closed
session from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Board Chair Mark White will open
the meeting at 4:00 p.m. Executive Director, Lesley Muldoon, will
provide an update on the Board's work from 4:05 p.m. to 4:10 p.m., and
an update on Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) eligibility
criteria from 4:10 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The committee will meet in closed
session from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to discuss recommendations for the
NAEP Assessment Schedule. This discussion may impact current and future
NAEP contracts and budgets and must be kept confidential to maintain
the integrity of the Federal budgeting and acquisition processes.
Public disclosure of this confidential information would significantly
impede implementation of the NAEP assessment program if conducted in
open session. Such matters are protected by exemption 9(B) of the
Government Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b(c). The meeting will adjourn at
6:00 p.m.
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Thursday, February 26, 2026
Assessment Development Committee (Virtual)
4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. (ET), Open Session
The Assessment Development Committee will meet in open session on
Thursday, February 26, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. to review the
subject specific contextual variables for the 2028 NAEP Science
Assessment at Grade 8.
Monday, March 9, 2026
Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology (Virtual)
10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (ET), Closed Session
The Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology will meet in
closed session on Monday, March 9, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
The Committee Chair will open the meeting, followed by a discussion on
the Automated Scoring of Reading Constructed Response Items in 2026
from 10:35 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. This portion of the meeting must be
closed because it will include item-level assessment data that is not
publicly available. Public disclosure of this confidential information
would significantly impede implementation of the NAEP assessment
program if conducted in open session. These matters are protected by
exemption 9(B) of the Government Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b(c).
The meeting will continue in closed session from 11:20 a.m. to
12:00 p.m. to discuss the NAEP Achievement Levels Overview and
Planning. Public disclosure of this confidential information would
affect current and future NAEP contracts and budgets and must remain
confidential to protect the integrity of the federal budgeting and
acquisition process. These matters are protected by exemption 9(B) of
the Government Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b(c).
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Reporting and Dissemination Committee (Virtual)
1:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m. (ET), Open Session
2:00 p.m.-2:45 p.m. (ET), Closed Session
The Reporting and Dissemination Committee will meet on Tuesday,
March 10, 2026, in open session from 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., and in
closed session from 2:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. From 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.,
the committee will receive a strategic communications update. From 2:00
p.m. to 2:45 p.m., the committee will meet in closed session to discuss
plans for reporting and disseminating the release of the 2025 NAEP
Long-Term Trend data. This session must be closed because the results
have not been released to the public. Public disclosure of this
confidential information would significantly impede implementation of
the NAEP assessment program if conducted in open session. Such matters
are protected by exemption 9(B) of the Government Sunshine Act, 5
U.S.C. 552b.
Quarterly Governing Board Meeting
The plenary sessions of the Governing Board's March 2026 quarterly
meeting will be held on the following dates and times:
Thursday, March 5, 2026
12:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m. (CST) (Hybrid Meeting)
12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m. (CST), Open Session
2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. (CST), Closed Session
On Thursday, March 5, 2026, the Board will meet in open session,
from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. and in closed session from 2:00 p.m. to
5:00 p.m. The open session will begin at 12:30 p.m. with welcome
remarks from Mark White, Chair of the Governing Board, followed by
approval of the March 2026 meeting agenda and the November 2025 meeting
minutes. The session will then include a welcome from meeting host
Michelle Cant[uacute]-Wilson and remarks about how NAEP supports
student success in Texas from K-12 through workforce readiness.
From 12:45 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., Lesley Muldoon, Executive Director,
will provide an update on the Board's work. From 1:00 p.m. to 1:15
p.m., Matthew Soldner, Acting Commissioner, NCES, will report on key
NAEP activities, and provide an update on the status of the 2026 NAEP
Administration, with Gina Ruehl, Director of Strategic Partnerships,
NCES, from 1:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. A transition to closed session will
occur from 1:45 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The Board will convene in closed session from 2:00 p.m. to 2:45
p.m. to receive an update on the status of the NAEP Budget from Matt
Soldner and Gina Ruehl. This discussion will include confidential
budget and procurement information not yet available to the public.
Disclosure of this confidential information would have an adverse
financial effect on the NAEP program by revealing proprietary contract
costs of the current NAEP contractors and independent government cost
estimates for future NAEP assessments. Such matters are protected by
exemption 9(B) of the Government Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b.
The Board will continue in closed session from 2:45 p.m. to 3:45
p.m. to receive updates on the 2025 Long-Term Trend Assessment. This
session must be closed because the content of the assessment has not
been released to the public. Public disclosure of this confidential
information would significantly impede implementation of the NAEP
assessment program if conducted in open session. Such matters are
protected by exemption 9(B).
Finally, from 3:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., the Board will discuss the
NAEP Assessment Schedule. This session must be closed because the
discussion may impact current and future NAEP contracts and budgets and
must be kept confidential to maintain the integrity of the Federal
acquisition process. Public disclosure of this confidential information
would significantly impede implementation of the NAEP assessment
program if conducted in open session. Such matters are protected by
exemption 9(B).
The Thursday, March 5, 2026, plenary session will adjourn at 5:00
p.m.
Friday, March 6, 2026
7:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. (CST) (Hybrid Meeting)
7:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. (CST), Closed Session
10:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m. (CST), Open Session
On Friday, March 6, 2026, plenary session will be held in closed
session from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., and in open session from 10:00
a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The Board will meet in closed session from 7:30 a.m.
to 8:30 a.m. to review and discuss recommendations for the final slate
of nominees to be submitted to the Secretary of Education for Governing
Board membership terms beginning October 1, 2026. The session must be
closed because the discussion will focus on internal personnel rules
and practices, as well as personal information where disclosure would
constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy. As such, the
discussions are protected by exemption 2 and 6 of the Government
Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b. 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(6).
Following a ten-minute transitional break, the Board will continue
in closed session from 8:40 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., to discuss the NAEP
Assessment Schedule. This session must be closed because the discussion
may impact current and future NAEP contracts and budgets and must be
kept confidential. Disclosure of this confidential information would
[[Page 5754]]
significantly impede implementation of the NAEP assessment program if
conducted in open session. Such matters are protected by exemption 9(B)
of the Government Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b.
The Board will take a break from 10:00 a.m. to 10:05 a.m. to
transition to open session. From 10:05 a.m. to 10:10 a.m., Vice Chair
Martin West will report on the recent meeting of the Board's Executive
Committee. The board will act on the proposed slate of 2026 Governing
Board nominees from 10:10 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. From 10:15 a.m. to 11:15
a.m., Margaret Spellings, President and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy
Center, will talk with the Board about the mission and guiding
principles of the Commission on the American Workforce, highlighting
the urgent challenges facing the U.S. workforce and potential impacts
for K-12 education. The Board will remain in open session from 11:15
a.m. to 12:15 p.m. to discuss the NextGen NAEP project, to support a
more agile, efficient and actionable NAEP. The November 2025 Governing
Board meeting will adjourn at 12:15 p.m.
Instructions for Accessing and Attending the Meetings
Registration: Members of the public may attend the standing
committee meetings and the full Governing Board on March 5-6, 2026,
either in person or virtually. A link to the final meeting agenda and
information on how to register for virtual attendance for the open
sessions will be posted on the Governing Board's website, <a href="http://www.nagb.gov">www.nagb.gov</a>,
no later than five (5) business days prior to the meeting. Registration
is required to join the meeting virtually.
Public Comment: Written comments related to the work of the
Governing Board and its standing committees may be submitted to the
attention of the DFO, either via email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7b3a151c1e171a552818140f0f3b1e1f551c140d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="07466960626b6629546468737347626329606871">[email protected]</span></a> or in
hard copy to the address listed above in the For Further Information
Contact section. Written comments related to the standing committee
meetings and the full Governing Board meeting should be submitted no
later than close of business five days prior to each meeting and should
reference the relevant agenda item.
Access to Records of the Meeting: Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 1009, the
public may inspect the meeting materials and other Governing Board
records at 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202, by emailing
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#93d2fdf4f6fff2bdc0f0fce7e7d3f6f7bdf4fce5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="26674841434a4708754549525266434208414950">[email protected]</span></a> to schedule an appointment. The official verbatim
transcripts of the open meeting sessions will be available for public
inspection no later than 30 calendar days following each meeting and
will be posted on the Governing Board's website. Requests for the
verbatim transcriptions may be made via email to the DFO.
Reasonable Accommodations: The meeting location 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 DFO listed in this notice by close of business on February
26, 2026.
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:
<a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys">www.gpo.gov/fdsys</a>. 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 website. You may also access documents of the Department
published in the Federal Register by using the article search feature
at: <a href="http://www.federalregister.gov">www.federalregister.gov</a>. 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, section 301--National
Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9621).
Lesley Muldoon,
Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), U.S.
Department of Education.
[FR Doc. 2026-02515 Filed 2-6-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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