Committee and Quarterly Board Meetings

Issuing agencies

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, whether participating in person or virtually, must register in advance. A registration link will be posted on the Governing Board's website, www.nagb.gov, no later than five (5) business days prior to each meeting.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 206 (Tuesday, October 27, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 206 (Tuesday, October 27, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67555-67558]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21827]


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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, whether participating in person or 
virtually, must register in advance. A registration link 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 each meeting.

DATES: The Quarterly Board Meeting and Standing Committee meetings will 
be held on the following dates:
Quarterly Board Meeting
November 19, 2026, from 9:05 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., EST
November 20, 2026, from 10:40 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST

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Standing Committee Meetings
Executive Committee
November 19, 2026, from 8:15 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (EST)
Assessment Development Committee
November 20, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (EST)
Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology
November 20, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (EST)
Reporting and Dissemination Committee
November 20, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (EST)

ADDRESSES: TBD.

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#6d2c030a08010c433e0e0219192d0809430a021b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f1b09f96949d90dfa2929e8585b19495df969e87">[email&#160;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 which 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 may 
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

Thursday, November 19, 2026
    Executive Committee (In-Person).
    8:15 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (EST), Closed Session.
    The Executive Committee will meet in closed session on Thursday, 
November 19, 2026, from 8:15 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., to discuss the NAGB 
budget and receive updates on the Board's strategic priorities. 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 budgeting and acquisition 
processes. Public disclosure of this 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).
Friday, November 20, 2026
    Assessment Development Committee (In-Person).
    8:30 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. (EST), Open Session.
    9:50 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (EST), Closed Session.
    The Assessment Development Committee will convene in open session 
on Friday, November 20, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:50 a.m., and in 
closed session from 9:50 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. From 8:30 a.m. to 8:35 
a.m., the committee will review the agenda. From 8:35 a.m. to 9:35 
a.m., the committee will receive an update on the NAEP Civics 
Framework. From 9:35 a.m. to 9:50 a.m., the committee will discuss a 
process for evaluating the 2026 NAEP Contextual Questionnaires. The 
committee will transition to closed session from 9:50 a.m. to 10:30 
a.m., to discuss the plans for the NAEP Long-Term Trend content 
documentation. This meeting will be closed to the public because it 
will involve discussion of unreleased assessment information and 
confidential budget and procurement information. Public disclosure of 
this information would reveal unreleased assessment content, and 
proprietary contract costs of the current NAEP contractors, independent 
government cost estimates for future assessments, and would have an 
adverse financial effect and significantly impede the implementation of 
future assessments if conducted in open session. These matters are 
protected from public disclosure under exemption 9(B) of the Government 
Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b.
    Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology (In-Person).
    8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (EST), Closed Session.
    10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (EST), Open Session.
    The Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology will meet in 
closed session on Friday, November 20, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 
a.m., followed by an open session from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. From 
8:30 a.m. to 9:20 a.m., the committee will discuss plans for multi-
stage testing (MST), and from 9:20 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., the committee 
will receive updates on 2026 evaluations and methodology in progress. 
This meeting will be closed to the public because it will involve 
discussion of unreleased and preliminary assessment data. Public 
disclosure of this information would reveal unreleased assessment data 
and content and impede the implementation of future assessments if 
conducted in open session. These matters are protected from public 
disclosure under exemption 9(B) of the Government Sunshine Act, 5 
U.S.C. 552b. From 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., the committee will meet in 
open session to discuss the committee's priorities for 2027 and beyond.
    Reporting and Dissemination Committee (In-Person).
    8:30 a.m. to 9:20 a.m. (EST), Open Session.
    9:20 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (EST), Closed Session.
    The Reporting and Dissemination Committee will meet on Friday, 
November 20, 2026. The committee will convene in open session from 8:30 
a.m. to 9:20 a.m., and in closed session from 9:20 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. 
The chair will welcome the committee from 8:30 a.m. to 8:40 a.m., 
followed by a strategic communications update from 8:40 a.m.

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to 9:00 a.m. The committee will then discuss the evaluation of the 2026 
NAEP Contextual Questionnaires from 9:00 a.m. to 9:20 a.m. The 
committee will meet in closed session from 9:20 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. to 
discuss the release plan for the 2026 NAEP results. 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. These matters are protected from public disclosure under 
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 November 2026 
quarterly meeting will be held on the following dates and times:
Thursday, November 19, 2026
    9:05 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EST), Hybrid Meeting.
    9:05 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. (EST), Open Session.
    12:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (EST), Closed Session.
    2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (EST), Open Session.
    3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EST), Closed Session.
    On Thursday, November 19, 2026, the Board will meet in open session 
from 9:05 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The open session will begin at 9:05 a.m. 
with welcome remarks from Mark White, Chair of the Governing Board, 
followed by approval of the November 2026 agenda, and the August 2026 
meeting minutes. At 9:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., U.S. Assistant Secretary of 
Elementary and Secondary Education Kirsten Baesler, will deliver 
remarks and administer the oath of office to new and reappointed 
members. From 9:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., newly appointed and reappointed 
members will deliver remarks.
    At 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., Lesley Muldoon, Executive Director of 
the Governing Board, will provide updates on the Board's work. From 
10:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Matthew Soldner, Acting Commissioner, NCES, 
will report on key activities at NCES. The Board will receive updates 
on the NAEP Civics Framework from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Following a 
15-minute transitional break to closed session, the Board will receive 
a briefing on embargoed data for the 2026 NAEP Grades 4 and 8 Reading 
and Mathematics from 12:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. This session must be 
closed because the presentation and discussion will include information 
on the budget and the federal acquisition process, as well as data 
which cannot be released to the public at this time. Public disclosure 
of this confidential information would significantly impede the 
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 meet in open session from 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m., to 
discuss and take action on the NAEP Achievement Level Descriptions for 
Reading and Mathematics Grades 4 and 8. Following a 15-minute 
transitional break, the Board will meet in closed session to discuss 
State Trends in Test Accommodations from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. This 
session must be closed because 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 in the Sunshine Act, 5 
U.S.C. 552b.
    The Board will continue in closed session from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 
p.m., for a member discussion on board governance matters and strategic 
priorities going forward. This discussion pertains to information of a 
personal nature and disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted 
invasion of personal privacy. This session will be closed pursuant to 
exemption 6 of the Government Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(6).
    The Thursday, November 19, 2026, session will adjourn at 5:00 p.m.
Friday, November 20, 2026
    10:40 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (EST), Hybrid Meeting.
    10:40 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (EST), Open Session.
    On Friday, November 20, 2026, the Board will meet in open session 
from 10:40 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. From 10:40 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., the Board 
will discuss and take action on the release plan for NAEP 2026 Reading 
and Mathematics results. From 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the Board will 
receive a briefing on opportunities for members to contribute to 
communications about NAEP results and Board policies. The Board will 
hear reports from its standing committees from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 
The November 20, 2026 Governing Board meeting will adjourn at 12:00 
p.m.
Instructions for Accessing and Attending the Meetings
    Registration: Members of the public may attend open sessions of the 
standing committee meetings in person only and may attend the full 
Governing Board on November 19-20, 2026, either in person or virtually. 
Attendance at closed sessions is limited to individuals approved to 
participate. A link to the final meeting agenda and information on how 
to register for the open and closed 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 attend 
the meeting, whether in person or 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#b8f9d6dfddd4d996ebdbd7ccccf8dddc96dfd7ce"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e1a08f86848d80cfb2828e9595a18485cf868e97">[email&#160;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 (5) 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 500 D Street SW, Washington, DC 20024, by emailing 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e6a78881838a87c8b585899292a68382c8818990"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="64250a030108054a37070b10102401004a030b12">[email&#160;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 thirty (30) calendar days following each 
meeting. 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 need auxiliary aid or service to 
participate in the meeting (for example, an interpreter, assistive 
listening device, or materials in alternate format), notify the DFO 
listed in this notice by close of business on November 12, 2026.
    Electronic Access to this Document: The official version of this 
document is the one published in the Federal Register. Internet access 
to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available through GovInfo at <a href="http://www.govinfo.gov">www.govinfo.gov</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 the PDF formatted document, 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>.

[[Page 67558]]

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. 2026-21827 Filed 10-26-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P


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