§ 4-9.02 ASSESSMENT OF INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE

Consistent with § 23-9.6:1.01., Code of Virginia, the following education-related and financial and administrative management measures shall be the basis on which the State Council of Higher Education shall annually assess and certify institutional performance.  Such certification shall be completed and forwarded in writing to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than June 1 of each year.  Institutional performance on measures set forth in paragraph K of this section shall be evaluated year-to-date by the Secretaries of Finance, Administration, and Technology as appropriate, and communicated to the State Council of Higher Education before June 1 of each year.  Financial benefits provided to each institution in accordance with § 2.2-5005 will be evaluated in light of that institution's performance.

In general, institutions are expected to achieve their agreed upon targets and standards on all performance measures in order to be certified by SCHEV. However, the State Council, in working with each institution, shall establish a prescribed range of permitted variance from annual targets for each education-related measure, as appropriate.

Further, the State Council shall have broad authority to certify institutions as having met the standards on education-related measures where they have already achieved high levels of performance in order that they may focus resources toward achieving similar levels of performance on other measures. The State Council shall likewise have the authority to exempt institutions from certification on education-related measures that the State Council deems unrelated to an institution's overall performance.

The State Council is authorized to develop, adopt, and publish standards for granting exemptions and ongoing modifications to the certification process.

A.  Access

1. Institution meets its State Council-approved biennial projection of total in-state student enrollment within the prescribed range of permitted variance.

2. Institution increases the percentage of in-state undergraduate enrollment from under-represented populations. (Such populations should include low income, first-generation college status, geographic origin within Virginia, race, and ethnicity, or other populations as may be identified by the State Council.)

3. Institution annually meets at least 95 percent of its State Council-approved estimates of degrees awarded.

B.  Affordability

1. With the intent of developing a clearly understandable measure of affordability no later than July 1, 2008, SCHEV shall report annually an institution's in-state undergraduate tuition and fees, both gross and net of need-based gift aid, as a percentage of the institution's median student family income. By October 1, 2008, each institution shall identify a “maintenance of effort” target for ensuring that the institution's financial commitment to need-based student aid shall increase commensurately with planned increases in in-state, undergraduate tuition and fees.  The financial plan for these goals should be incorporated into the institution's 2009-2014 six-year plan as required under § 23-9.2:3.02., Code of Virginia.

2. Institution establishes mutually acceptable annual targets for need-based borrowing that reflect institutional commitment to limit the average borrowing of in-state students with established financial need, and the percentage of those students who borrow, to a level that maintains or increases access while not compromising affordability.

3. Institution conducts a biennial assessment of the impact of tuition and fee levels net of financial aid on applications, enrollment, and student indebtedness incurred for the payment of tuition and fees and provides the State Council with a copy of this study upon its completion and makes appropriate reference to its use within the required six-year plans. The institution shall also make a parent- and student-friendly version of this assessment widely available on the institution's website.

C.  Breadth of Academics

Institution maintains acceptable progress towards an agreed upon target for the total number and percentage of graduates in high-need areas, as identified by the State Council of Higher Education.

D.  Academic Standards

Institution reports on total programs reviewed under Southern Association of Colleges and Schools assessment of student learning outcomes criteria within the institution's established assessment cycle in which continuous improvement plans addressing recommended policy and program changes were implemented.

E.  Student Retention and Timely Graduation

1. Institution demonstrates a commitment to ensuring that lower division undergraduates have access to required courses at the 100- and 200-level sufficient to ensure timely graduation by reporting annually to the State Council of Higher Education on the number of students denied enrollment in such courses for each fall and spring semesters. No later than July 1, 2008, to the extent the institution does not currently track student access and registration attempts at the course level, the institution shall, in consultation with the State Council of Higher Education, establish an appropriate quantitative method to identify the extent to which limited access to 100- and 200-level courses reduce progression, retention, and graduation rates. After July 1, 2008, each institution shall include in its annual report to the State Council its plan of action to increase such access and remediate the identified problems.

2. Institution maintains or increases the ratio of degrees conferred per full-time equivalent instructional faculty member, within the prescribed range of permitted variance. 

3. Institution maintains or improves the average annual retention and progression rates of degree-seeking undergraduate students.

4. Within the prescribed range of permitted variance, the institution increases the ratio of total undergraduate degree awards to the number of annual full-time equivalent, degree-seeking undergraduate students except in those years when the institution is pursuing planned enrollment growth as demonstrated by their SCHEV-approved enrollment projections.

F.  Articulation Agreements and Dual Enrollment

1. Institution increases the number of undergraduate programs or schools for which it has established a uniform articulation agreement by program or school for associate degree graduates transferring from all colleges of the Virginia Community College System and Richard Bland College consistent with a target agreed to by the institution, the Virginia Community College System, and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

2. Institution increases the total number of associate degree graduates enrolled as transfer students from Virginia's public two-year colleges with the expectation that the  general education credits from those institutions apply toward general education baccalaureate degree requirements, as a percent of all undergraduate students enrolled, within the prescribed range of permitted variance.

3. Institution increases the number of students involved in dual enrollment programs consistent with a target agreed upon by the institution, the Department of Education and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

G.  Economic Development

In cooperation with the State Council, institution develops a specific set of actions to help address local and/or regional economic development needs consisting of specific partners, activities, fiscal support, and desired outcomes. Institution will receive positive feedback on an annual standardized survey developed by the State Council, in consultation with the institutions, of local and regional leaders, and the economic development partners identified in its plans, regarding the success of its local and regional economic development plans.

H.  Research, Patents, and Licenses

1. Institution maintains or increases the total expenditures in grants and contracts for research, within the prescribed range of permitted variance, according to targets mutually agreed upon with SCHEV and/or consistent with the institution's management agreement.

2. Institution maintains or increases the annual number of new patent awards and licenses, within the prescribed range of permitted variance, according to targets mutually agreed upon with SCHEV and/or consistent with the institution's management agreement.

I.  Elementary and Secondary Education

In cooperation with the State Council, institution develops a specific set of actions with schools or school district administrations with specific goals to improve student achievement, upgrade the knowledge and skills of teachers, or strengthen the leadership skills of school administrators. Institution will receive positive feedback on an annual standardized survey developed by the State Council, in consultation with the institutions, of the superintendents, principals, and appropriate other parties.

The Virginia Department of Education shall share data on teachers, including identifying information, with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia in order to evaluate the efficacy of approved programs of teacher education, the production and retention of teachers, and the exiting of teachers from the teaching profession.

The Virginia Department of Education and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia shall share personally identifiable information from education records in order to evaluate and study student preparation for and enrollment and performance at state institutions of higher education in order to improve educational policy and instruction in the Commonwealth.  However, such study shall be conducted in such a manner as to not permit the personal identification of students by persons other than representatives of the Department of Education or the State Council for Higher Education for Virginia, and such shared information shall be destroyed when no longer needed for purposes of the study.

J.  Six-Year Plan

Institution prepares six-year financial plan consistent with § 23-9.2:3.02.

K.  Financial and Administrative Standards

1.  As specified in § 2.2-5004, Code of Virginia, institution takes all appropriate actions to meet the following financial and administrative standards:

a. An unqualified opinion from the Auditor of Public Accounts upon the audit of the public institution's financial statements;

b. No significant audit deficiencies attested to by the Auditor of Public Accounts;

c. Substantial compliance with all financial reporting standards approved by the State Comptroller;

d. Substantial attainment of accounts receivable standards approved by the State Comptroller, including but not limited to, any standards for outstanding receivables and bad debts; and

e. Substantial attainment of accounts payable standards approved by the State Comptroller including, but not limited to, any standards for accounts payable past due.

2. Institution complies with a debt management policy approved by its governing board that defines the maximum percent of institutional resources that can be used to pay debt service in a fiscal year, and the maximum amount of debt that can be prudently issued within a specified period.

3. The institution will achieve the classified staff turnover rate goal established by the institution; however, a variance of 15 percent from the established goal will be acceptable.

4. a) The institution will substantially comply with its annual approved Small, Women and Minority (SWAM) plan as submitted to the Department of Minority Business Enterprise; however, a variance of 15 percent from its SWAM purchase goal, as stated in the plan, will be acceptable;

b) The institution will make no less than 75 percent of dollar purchases through the Commonwealth's enterprise-wide internet procurement system (eVA) from vendor locations registered in eVA.

5. The institution will complete capital projects (with an individual cost of over $1,000,000) within 1) the budget originally approved by the institution's governing board for projects initiated under delegated authority, or 2) the budget set out in the Appropriation Act or other Acts of Assembly.  If the institution exceeds the budget for any such project, the Secretaries of Administration and Finance shall review the circumstances causing the cost overrun and the manner in which the institution responded and determine whether the institution shall be considered in compliance with the measure despite the cost overrun.

6. The institution will complete major information technology projects (with an individual cost of over $1,000,000) within the budgets and schedules originally approved by the institution's governing board.  If the institution exceeds the budget and/or time schedule for any such project, the Secretary of Technology shall review the circumstances causing the cost overrun and/or delay and the manner in which the institution responded and determine whether the institution appropriately adhered to Project Management Institute's best management practices and, therefore, shall be considered in compliance with the measure despite the cost overrun and/or delay.

7. Institutions governed under Chapters 933 and 943 of the 2006 Acts of Assembly, shall be measured by the administrative standards outlined in the Management Agreements and § 4-9.02.K.4.a) of this act. However, the Governor may supplement or replace those administrative performance measures with the administrative performance measures listed in this paragraph upon notification to the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees and the institutions within 45 days of the start of a fiscal year.

L.  Campus Safety and Security

The institution shall work to adopt an acceptable number of the 27 Best Practice Recommendations for Campus Safety adopted by the Virginia Crime Commission on January 10, 2006. Each practice should be considered by the institution as to how it fits in with current practices and the needs of the institution. Following each year of reporting and certification, the institution shall enumerate those practices adopted by the institution.