Your Guide to the National Education Board Meetings

You might care about this because the National Assessment Governing Board, part of the Department of Education, is holding public and private meetings. These meetings will happen on May 14 and 15, 2026. The Board is very important for how schools measure student learning across the country. They set policies for the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as NAEP. NAEP is often called 'The Nation's Report Card.' The Board decides what subjects to test, how to score results, and how to share those results with the public. They also make sure the tests are fair and accurate. Some parts of these meetings are open for anyone to attend, either in person or online. Other parts are closed to protect information like future test questions or budget plans. If you want to join an open session or offer written comments, you need to register ahead of time on their website, nagb.gov. This notice tells you when and where these important discussions about national education standards will take place. It explains the Board's responsibilities, which include measuring student achievement in grades 4, 8, and 12, and creating ways to report what students have learned. They work with teachers, parents, and experts to do this. This document acts as an official announcement for these meetings. It helps keep the public informed about how national education policies are made. What makes this document particularly interesting is how it balances public involvement with the need for privacy in testing. The National Assessment Governing Board is a federal group that sets education policy. This includes how the NAEP tests are designed and how their results are used. Some of their meetings are open to the public. This means anyone can observe discussions about general policies or updates. However, some sessions are closed. These closed meetings deal with sensitive information. For example, they talk about actual test questions that have not been used yet. They also discuss budget details for future tests. The law allows these parts of the meetings to be private. This is to stop the spread of confidential test material. Releasing this information too early could affect how well the tests work and keep them from being fair. This approach tries to make sure the public knows what the Board is doing while also protecting the integrity of the national tests. It shows the careful steps involved in creating and running a major national education assessment. Many different people would find this legal document interesting. Teachers and school administrators are key groups. They use NAEP results to understand student performance and guide their teaching. Parents might want to know how national tests are developed and what they measure. Education researchers and academics could follow these discussions to see trends in national education policy and testing methods. State and local government officials also pay attention. They use NAEP data to compare their students' progress to others across the country. Anyone who works in education policy or advocacy would also find this notice useful. It tells them about upcoming discussions and decisions that could shape education for years to come. Finally, anyone who cares about how the federal government makes important decisions and interacts with the public would be interested. This document provides a look into the workings of a federal advisory committee that influences education for millions of students.