This document discusses the Assessment Policy Committee established to design and supervise the conduct of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and describes the legislation supporting the Committee. It proposes that the governance of NAEP be the responsibility of a board composed largely of educational policy makers, and those influencing policy, with a minority of persons representing educational practitioners, teachers, and school administrators. It recommends that five panels of experts be established to advise the board on: (1) the selection of educational objectives to be assessed; (2) test construction; (3) sampling procedures; (4) reporting and interpreting test performance; and (5) potentials and limitations of educational surveys. When NAEP was transferred from the Education Commission of the States to Educational Testing Service, specialized in-house advisors replaced committees on test construction and analysis. In-house advice is cheaper and more efficient, but has limitations. First, no contractor has the range of experience required. Furthermore, the contractor is influenced by the assumed competence of the internal staff and has little incentive to question the staff's concepts or procedures. A national assessment, like the United States Census or the National Public Health Surveys, requires that its basic concepts and procedures be critically reviewed by experts and laymen from a variety of backgrounds. The appendix includes relevant sections of Public Law 95-561 and Public Law 98-511. (LMO)