General Advisory Committee

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Charter

General Advisory Committee Charter

Introduction
Purposes
Roles and Responsibilities of Committee Members
Membership
Meetings of Members
Attendance
Term
Function and Role of NARAP

Introduction

The purpose of the National Accessible Reading Assessment Projects (NARAP) is to support research to make large-scale assessments of reading proficiency more accessible for students who have disabilities that affect reading. The projects have the following four goals:

1. Formulate a definition of the construct of "reading proficiency." The definition is to provide a basis for research and development for accessible large-scale tests of reading proficiency that provide valid measures of proficiency against academic standards, and meaningful individual reports for the full range of students with disabilities that affect reading.
2. Conduct a program of research on the assessment of reading proficiency. The research is to determine the effects of various factors of test development, design, and administration on accessibility, validity, and comparability for students with disabilities that affect reading.
3. Develop research-based principles and guidelines for large-scale accessible reading assessments. The assessments are to be large-scale assessments of reading proficiency that are more accessible for students who have disabilities that affect reading.
4. Develop and field-test instruments or methods for assessing reading proficiency. The field test is to involve approaches suitable for large-scale administration for school accountability purposes; that are accessible to students who have disabilities that affect reading; that maintain validity and comparability of scores; and that can provide valid measures and individual reports for the full range of students with disabilities that affect reading.

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Purposes

The purposes of the General Advisory Committee (GAC) are to:

• Review and advise on the general plans of NARAP.*
• Provide liaison with stakeholder groups.*

*Required in funding priority.

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Roles and Responsibilities of Committee Members

Committee members will:

• Speak on behalf of the organizations they represent.
• Communicate the progress and outcomes of NARAP to constituents.
• Reflect the feedback of their constituents to NARAP.
• Disseminate project results to their constituents.

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Membership

1. The membership of the General Advisory Committee will consist of one representative from each of the following organizations:

1. American Federation of Teachers
2. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
3. Association of State Consultants of Blind/Visually Impaired
4. Association of Test Publishers
5. Center for Applied Linguistics
6. Council for Exceptional Children
7. Council of Chief State School Officers
8. Gallaudet Research Institute
9. International Reading Association
10. Learning Disabilities Association
11. National Association of State Directors of Special Education
12. National Association of Test Directors
13. National Center on Secondary Education and Transition
14. National Council on Measurement in Education
15. National Down Syndrome Society
16. National Education Association
17. National Reading Conference
18. PACER
19. Regional Resource Centers
20. TASH
21. The ARC
22. WestEd

2. Representatives from the National Center for Special Education Research and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education will serve as ex officio members of the General Advisory Committee.

3. Other organizations represented on the General Advisory Committee as required in the funding priority include the National Assessment Governing Board and the National Center for Education Statistics.

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Meetings of Members

1. The committee will meet annually.
2. Special meetings, either in person or through electronic means, may be called by the NARAP Executive Committee.

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Attendance

In the event that a member can not attend a meeting or event, the member will send an informed alternate to represent the organization at the meeting or event.

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Term

1. The member will serve for the full duration of the project, which is anticipated to be a five year period.
2. If a member’s position in his or her organization changes, prohibiting the member from carrying out the specified roles and responsibilities, or if a member can no longer serve, the replacement for that member will be determined by the NARAP Executive Committee in collaboration with the organization.

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Function and Role of NARAP

To facilitate the work of the General Advisory Committee, NARAP will:

1. Send out meeting notices.
2. Maintain meeting records.
3. Provide information through various mediums (e.g. e-mails, electronic bulletin boards, web logs).
4. Provide periodic updates (monthly or quarterly e-mails) to inform General Advisory Committee members about NARAP activities.
5. Provide information (e.g. brief e-mail reports) to General Advisory Committee members that can be tailored to each member’s specific audience.
6. Provide background reading or briefing papers to General Advisory Committee members on relevant topics.
7. Communicate with individual General Advisory Committee members as needed to carry out the work of NARAP.

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