Florida State Senator Anitere Flores
Reappointed to National Assessment Governing Board

Miami Lawmaker Is One of Six Members Named by
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan

WASHINGTON (August 21, 2012) — Florida State Senator Anitere Flores (R-Miami) has been appointed to serve a second four-year term on the National Assessment Governing Board, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced yesterday. Five other Board members—one other also a re-appointed incumbent—were announced as well. Their terms begin October 1, 2012.

Sen. Flores, who was elected to the state Senate in 2010, will serve in the category of "Republican state legislator" on the Governing Board, which sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as The Nation’s Report Card. NAEP is the country’s only nationally representative assessment of student achievement in various subjects, including mathematics, reading, writing, and science.

"We are delighted to have Anitere continue with the Board," said Governing Board Chairman David Driscoll. "Her nearly decade-long experience as a lawmaker in such a big state will be a major asset in efforts to oversee The Nation’s Report Card—the most valuable benchmark we have for monitoring student progress nationally and by states and large urban districts."

Flores was elected to the Florida Senate in 2010, representing District 38, which consists of part of Miami-Dade County. From 2010-2012, she served as the Republican majority whip. Before her senatorial election, Flores represented District 114 in the Florida House of Representatives from 2004-2010. She also served as Education Council Policy Chief from 2000-2002 in the state House and advised former Gov. Jeb Bush on statewide policies. From 2002-2004, Flores served as Director of State Relations for Florida International University. Her honors include Florida Association of School Administrators’ Public Education Leader Award and the National Association of Social Workers’ Legislator of the Year.

Flores continues her work with the Board as it is overseeing several initiatives, including research on how NAEP can be used as an indicator of 12th-grade academic preparedness for college and job training; NAEP parent engagement, with a focus on conveying the urgency of closing achievement gaps and improving student performance; innovative computer-based NAEP assessments; and studies linking NAEP with the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The Board has also created task forces, whose members represent the business community and school leaders at the state level.

Congress established the 26-member Governing Board in 1988 to oversee NAEP, which makes objective information on student performance available to policymakers and the public at the national, state and local levels, and has served an important role in evaluating the condition and progress of American education since 1969. Among many other duties, the Governing Board determines subjects to be tested and the content and achievement levels for each test, and works to inform the public about NAEP results.

Flores joins a group of governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators and researchers, business representatives and members of the general public who make up the Board. In addition to Flores, others appointed by Secretary Duncan yesterday are listed below along with their hometown, category of appointment, and official title. The term for each member is slated to extend to September 30, 2016.

• Rebecca Gagnon, Minneapolis – local school board member:
  Director of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education
• Andrew Ho, Cambridge, Mass. – testing and measurement expert:
  Assistant Professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education
• Terry Mazany, Chicago – general public representative:
  President and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust
• Joseph O’Keefe, Chestnut Hill, Mass. – non-public school administrator or policymaker:
  Professor at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education
• Honorable Sonny Perdue, Atlanta – Republican governor:
  Consultant and former governor of Georgia; Board member since 2008
  
  

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The National Assessment of Educational Progress is the only nationally representative, continuing evaluation of the condition of education in the United States. It has served as a national yardstick of student achievement since 1969. Through the Nation's Report Card, NAEP informs the public about what American students know and can do in various subject areas and compares achievement between states, large urban districts, and various student demographic groups.
The National Assessment Governing Board is an independent, bipartisan board whose members include governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators, business representatives and members of the general public. Congress created the 26-member Governing Board in 1988 to oversee and set policy for NAEP.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a congressionally authorized project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The National Center for Education Statistics, within the Institute of Education Sciences, administers NAEP. The Commissioner of Education Statistics is responsible by law for carrying out the NAEP project.