National Assessment Governing Board Announces New Members: Check Complete List and Roles

The U.S. Department of Education has made recent appointments to the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), the independent body charged with the policy and oversight of the Nation’s Report Card (NAEP).    These appointments come in the wake of recent NAEP results that show declines in student achievement across key subjects and call for a consideration of strategic educational assessment reforms.  

The new board members provide an eclectic mix of expertise from state governance, early literacy, school leadership, and testing and measurement. With Mark White as Chair and new key members such as Kymyona Burk and Michael Sidebothem, the board is poised to help guide policy, provide sound assessment standards, and contribute to addressing pressing educational problems across the country.

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National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) New Members

Here are the new members of the national assessment governing board along with their role and representations: 

1. Mark White - ChairMan

Mark White is an experienced member of the state legislature in Tennessee, and he has been named the new Chair of the National Assessment Governing Board. As someone with in-depth knowledge of education policy and governance, White is expected to provide strategic leadership at such an important time when student performance is declining across the nation. 

His role will include helping to shape policy decisions around NAEP, helping board members work together, and ensuring that the assessments continue to provide trustworthy information to schools and policymakers.

2. Kymyona Burk - General Public Representative

Kymyona Burk has extensive expertise in early literacy and educational research and has been selected as a General Public Representative for NAGB. As a senior policy fellow for ExcelinEd and in her work at SUNY's Science of Reading Center, Burk's work focuses on literacy and curriculum development.

Her appointment underscores the board’s commitment to fundamental learning by ensuring the NAEP assessments are measuring early reading skills and providing useful data to improve outcomes for students to advance learning in schools across the nation.

3. Michael Sidebothem - Elementary School Principal

Michael Sidebothem, who currently serves as the principal of Grafton Village Elementary School in Virginia, will contribute a practitioner voice to the board’s discussions. Sidebotham was awarded Virginia’s “Principal of Distinction” and brings a wealth of experience in working with assessments in schools and applying assessment data to inform instruction.

His insights into the day-to-day operations of schools will assist the board as it works to ensure NAEP policies are feasible, meaningful in a classroom context, and supportive of teachers and students in a variety of educational settings. 

4. Scott Marion - Testing & Measurement Expert

Scott Marion, who was reappointed to the NAGB, has decades of educational measurement and assessment design experience. As the Principal Learning Associate at the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment in Dover, New Hampshire, Marion brings technical knowledge and information critical to the NAEP’s reliability and validity.

The Board’s continuity in appointing Marion will ensure he has oversight of NAEP assessment techniques and methods while ensuring we continue to use rigorous indicators for data interpretation as we move forward. The Board relies on Marion to facilitate clarity in enumerating actionable insights to inform policymakers, education practitioners, and the general citizenry about the NAEP educational testing and assessments.