National Assessment Governing Board
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| National Assessment Governing Board | |
|---|---|
| Name | National Assessment Governing Board |
| Formation | 1988 |
| Type | Independent policy board |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Leader title | Chair |
| Leader name | (varies) |
| Parent organization | National Center for Education Statistics |
| Website | (official) |
National Assessment Governing Board.
The National Assessment Governing Board is an independent federal advisory body that establishes policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress, interacting with institutions such as U.S. Department of Education, Congress of the United States, National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, and federal panels including the Office of Management and Budget and Government Accountability Office. Its mandate connects to statutes enacted in the United States Congress and influences assessments used by states such as California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois. Members engage with stakeholders including national associations like the American Educational Research Association, National Education Association, Council of Chief State School Officers, School Superintendents Association (AASA), and foundations like the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Overview
The board was created to govern the design, administration, and reporting of a large-scale assessment administered by a federal statistical agency, coordinating with entities such as the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, and research organizations including the RAND Corporation, Pew Research Center, Brookings Institution, and American Institutes for Research. It issues policy guidance that affects content frameworks referencing curricula implemented in districts influenced by organizations such as KIPP Foundation, Teach For America, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and state education departments in jurisdictions like Georgia and Ohio. The board’s decisions intersect with legal frameworks like the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 and congressional authorizations previously debated in committees such as the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the House Committee on Education and Labor.
History
Established by congressional statute in 1988 following recommendations from commissions that included members tied to institutions like Harvard University, Stanford University, Columbia University, University of Michigan, and University of California, Berkeley, the board emerged amid reform debates also involving advocacy groups such as Education Trust and Citizens' Commission on Civil Rights. Early governance reflected input from federal research leaders at the National Science Foundation and policy analysts from The Heritage Foundation and Urban Institute. Over time, landmark assessment cycles prompted interactions with presidential administrations spanning George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden, as well as national education initiatives including No Child Left Behind Act and debates resonant with reports from National Research Council and commissions like the Brown v. Board of Education legacy commissions.
Organization and Membership
The board’s membership includes appointed representatives drawn from constituencies such as state chief officers, governors’ appointees in states like Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, members nominated by national organizations including National School Boards Association, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and private sector experts from entities like McKinsey & Company, ETS, and Pearson PLC. Ex officio participation links to federal offices including the U.S. Secretary of Education, the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, and the Commissioner of Education Statistics. Chairs and vice-chairs of the board have professional ties to universities such as Teachers College, Columbia University, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, and organizations like American Federation of Teachers and RAND Corporation. Appointment processes involve confirmation protocols interacting with the White House and advisory procedures influenced by the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
Responsibilities and Functions
The board sets policy for assessment frameworks, item development, reporting formats, and dissemination strategies, coordinating with technical contractors at Educational Testing Service, ACT, Inc., College Board, and research partners like SRI International and Westat. It adopts achievement-level definitions that inform reporting to governors in states like Washington (state), Arizona, and North Carolina, and it issues guidelines affecting assessments in subjects historically linked to standards developed by groups such as National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, International Reading Association, and National Science Teaching Association. The board commissions technical reports from panels comprised of scholars from Yale University, Princeton University, University of Chicago, and Johns Hopkins University and liaises with advocacy organizations including Parents for Public Schools and Civil Rights Project at UCLA.
Assessment Programs and Initiatives
Key assessment cycles governed by the board cover subject domains such as reading and mathematics at grade levels that inform comparative results used by states including New Jersey, Virginia, and Colorado, and special studies addressing populations served by programs like Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and initiatives referenced by Head Start. The board has overseen innovations such as trend vs. main NAEP studies interacting with contractors like Pearson and technology partners tied to Microsoft and Oracle. Programmatic initiatives have included accommodations research involving experts from Gallaudet University and bilingual assessment studies engaging institutions like University of Texas at Austin and University of Arizona.
Criticisms and Controversies
Critiques have come from civil rights groups, state education officials, researchers, and media outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, and Education Week over topics such as perceived politicization during administrations like George W. Bush and Donald Trump, sample design decisions tied to comparative reporting for states such as Louisiana and Alabama, and controversies about achievement-level classifications that drew comment from scholars at Stanford University and University of Pennsylvania. Debates have also addressed contractor selection criticized by watchdogs including the Project on Government Oversight and methodological disputes scrutinized by panels convened by the National Academy of Sciences.