Mississippi Literacy Expert Kymyona Burk Appointed to National Assessment Governing Board
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Kymyona Burk, a former Mississippi literacy director and current senior policy fellow, has been appointed to the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) by U.S. secretary of Education Linda McMahon, it was announced Tuesday. The NAGB oversees the Nation’s Report Card,officially known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
Burk, who resides in the Jackson metro area, currently serves as senior policy fellow of early literacy at the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd).she previously held the position of state literacy director under former Mississippi State Superintendent Carey Wright at the Mississippi Department of Education. Additionally, she is a visiting senior fellow at the State University of New York’s New Paltz Science of Reading Center.
The NAGB is an independent, nonpartisan body responsible for setting policy for the NAEP, the only nationally representative assessment of student achievement over time in the United States. The board determines assessment grades and subjects, content inclusion, achievement levels, and ensures the relevance of NAEP results to the public.
“This is a critical moment for education in America. We need to work together to determine how to help students regain lost ground and accelerate their progress so they can truly be prepared for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead,” Burk said in a statement.”I’m thrilled to join the Governing board at a time when having robust education data,like we get from NAEP,is so essential.”
Alongside Burk, Secretary McMahon appointed Michael Sidebotham, an elementary school principal from Fredericksburg, Virginia, to the Board. Scott Marion, a New Hampshire-based testing and measurement expert, was reappointed, and Tennessee Rep. Mark White of Memphis was named Board Chair, succeeding former North carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue.
The 26-member Governing Board will swear in new and reappointed members at its quarterly meeting in November. The NAEP provides a vital benchmark for tracking student progress and informing education policy nationwide.
