Tennessee Education Board Chairman B. Fielding Rolston Appointed to National Assessment Governing Board

State Leader from Kingsport is One of Seven Members Named by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan

WASHINGTON (September 6, 2011) – Tennessee State Board of Education Chairman B. Fielding Rolston has been appointed to serve a four-year term on the National Assessment Governing Board, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced today. Six other Board members—four of them also new appointees—were announced as well. Their terms begin October 1, 2011.

Rolston, who was first appointed to the state education board in 1996, will serve in the category of "state school board member" 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 Fielding join the Board," said Governing Board Chairman David Driscoll. "His experience as a leader in education and business will be a major asset in efforts to oversee The Nation's Report Card—the most valuable benchmark we have for monitoring student progress in the U.S."

Rolston oversees the Tennessee State Board of Education, which is the governing and policy-making body for the Tennessee system of public elementary and secondary education. With a professional background in engineering, Rolston also has served as board chairman for several other organizations in the field of higher education, health and industry, including the Wellmont Health System, the Board of Trustees for Emory and Henry College, and the Eastman Credit Union Board of Directors. In 2003, he retired from Eastman Chemical Company with more than 38 years of service that included work as an industrial engineer. Rolston held a series of management posts in industrial engineering, strategic planning, supply and distribution, and human resources and communications.

Rolston joins the Board as it is overseeing several major developments. They include a new computer-based Technology and Engineering Literacy assessment that will be administered in 2014, research studies to be released in 2012 on 12th-grade preparedness for higher education and job training, and a new ad hoc committee on engaging parents with the goal of increasing student performance and closing achievement gaps.

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.

Rolston 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 Rolston, others appointed by Secretary Duncan today 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, 2015.

• Andrés Alonso, Baltimore, local school superintendent: Chief Executive Officer of the Baltimore City Public Schools
• Lou Fabrizio, Raleigh, N.C., testing and measurement expert: Data, Research and Federal Policy Director for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction; Board member since 2007
• Terry Holliday, Lexington, Ky., chief state school officer: Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education
• Dale Nowlin, Columbus, Ind., 12th-grade teacher: Teacher at Columbus North High School
• Susan Pimentel, Hanover, N.H., curriculum specialist: Educational Consultant; Board member since 2007
• Cary Sneider, Portland, Ore., curriculum specialist: Associate Research Professor at Portland State University

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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.