The Department and the System shall administer the Program. In administering the Program, the Department and the System shall:
1. Establish an advisory committee composed of representatives from local school divisions from each of the eight Superintendent’s regions, associate-degree-granting public institutions of higher education from each of the eight Superintendent’s regions, baccalaureate public institutions of higher education, Richard Bland College, the Office of the Secretary of Education, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia, the Virginia Office of Education Economics, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, as well as parents of public school students from each of the eight Superintendent’s regions, a parent of a student who receives home instruction, and a representative from the Department with expertise in state and federal requirements for meeting the needs of students with disabilities. Such advisory committee shall provide guidance to the Department and the System to ensure that the Program fulfills the purpose of the Program described in subsection B of § 22.1-237.2 and meets the requirements set forth in § 22.1-237.3.
2. Coordinate with the Council in its performance of its responsibilities under §§ 23.1-905.1, 23.1-907, and 23.1-908.
3. Review existing regulations, including 8VAC20-131-140, and policies, including policy 6.6.3 in the VCCS Policy Manual, on dual enrollment student eligibility and admission requirements and develop consistent student eligibility and admission requirements for the Program that balance improving student access to and ensuring student preparedness for Program courses.
4. Develop and implement initiatives to improve participation in the Program by qualified high school students from groups of students that are underrepresented in baccalaureate public institutions of higher education.
5. Develop guidelines for school boards and comprehensive community colleges to provide notice of and counseling relating to the Program to high school students and their parents.
6. Develop guidelines for local school boards and comprehensive community colleges to provide students enrolled in the Program with appropriate support, including academic support services and activities, access and user privileges to adequate library collections and services, accommodations for students with disabilities, transportation, and any other learning information or resources.
7. Establish and implement initiatives to increase the number of high school teachers across the Commonwealth that meet the applicable dual enrollment faculty credential requirements.
8. In local school divisions in which in-person instruction by qualified high school faculty is not available, ensure that comprehensive community colleges and the Online Virginia Network Authority provide access to Program courses transmitted virtually.
9. Consider the unique needs of local school divisions related to their location, size, and proximity to a comprehensive community college when developing recommendations and implementing the Program.
10. Consider how to incorporate all associate-degree-granting public institutions of higher education in the Program, consistent with the establishment of the Program pursuant to § 22.1-237.2.
11. Make distributions from the Fund as set forth in subsection C of § 22.1-237.2.
12. Develop and implement a plan for the annual collection and public reporting of state-level and division-level Program data, including high school and postsecondary student outcomes.
13. Develop and implement a plan for the annual collection from local school divisions and comprehensive community colleges of data on their receipts and expenditures related to the Program.
14. Establish a Program webpage that provides information necessary for students and parents to understand and access the Program.
15. Complete an annual, comprehensive review of the effectiveness of the Program, including its cost, student outcomes, and the quality and rigor of Program courses, and prepare a plan for continuous Program improvement.
16. Annually report to the General Assembly the results of the review and the plan for continuous Program improvement in subdivision 15.