Five leaders from around the country, including a Jamesville-DeWitt high school principal, have been appointed to the National Assessment Governing Board to serve four-year terms, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced last month. The appointees’ terms began on Oct. 1 and end on Sept. 30, 2022.
Paul Gasparini, the Jamesville-DeWitt High School principal in Dewitt, was one of five leaders to be named to the governing board. Gasparini has held his position for 17 years, and chairs the Central New York High School Principals Consortium. His accolades include being named state high school principal of the year by the School Administrators Association of New York State.
The four other leaders appointed to the board include Puerto Rico’s secretary of education, founder of The STEMinista Project in Michigan, an eighth grade teacher from Colorado and a fourth grade teacher from Florida.
Gasparinin and other appointees will help set policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card. NAEP offers to the public and to education policymakers at the national, state and local levels, objective data on student performance in nearly a dozen subjects. The information NAEP provides helps education stakeholders evaluate the progress of American education. The 26-member nonpartisan, independent Governing Board determines the subjects and content of NAEP tests, sets the achievement levels for reporting and publicly releases the results.
“I’m pleased to welcome this diverse group of leaders from across the country to the National Assessment Governing Board,” DeVos said. “The board plays an important role in assessing student achievement, and I am confident that their collective experience will be a valuable asset as we work to ensure that all students have equal access to a great education that gives them the opportunity to reach their fullest potential.”
“We are excited to have such a breadth of talent and expertise join the board and contribute to a group of leaders who are dedicated to maintaining NAEP’s rigor and quality, while making the assessment useful and relevant for the public,” said Lisa Stooksberry, deputy executive director for the Governing Board.
Every year, the Governing Board conducts a nationwide search for board nominees. After the nominations period ends, the Governing Board narrows the pool of nominees to a list of finalists from which the U.S. Secretary of Education selects board members.
The Governing Board is now accepting nominations for board members whose terms will begin Oct. 1, 2019. To learn more about the open board positions and the nomination process, visit http://bit.ly/JoinTheBoard11. Nominations are due by 5 p.m. on Oct. 31, 2018.
