(a) The purpose of the institutional and statewide data reporting system is to make information available through the official websites of the commission and council to parents, students, faculty, staff, state policymakers, and the general public on the quality and performance of public higher education.

(b) The information provided through the reporting system shall be consistent and comparable between and among state institutions of higher education. If applicable, the information shall allow for easy comparison with higher education-related data collected and disseminated by the Southern Regional Education Board, the United States Department of Education and other education data-gathering and data-disseminating organizations upon which state policymakers frequently rely in setting policy.

(c) The rules required by this article shall provide for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of information on the performance of the state institutions of higher education, including health sciences education, in relation to the findings, goals, and objectives set forth in this article and §18B-1-1a of this code.

(1) The objective of this portion of the rule is to ensure that the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability and others identified in subsection (a) of this section are provided with full and accurate information while minimizing the institutional burden of recordkeeping and reporting.

(2) This portion of the rule shall identify various indicators of student and institutional performance that, at a minimum, must be reported annually, set forth general guidelines for the collection and reporting of data, and provide for the preparation and publication of the statewide data and reports.

The statewide annual report shall be analysis-driven, rather than simply data-driven, and shall present information in a format that can inform education policymaking. It shall outline significant trends, identify major areas of concern, and discuss progress toward meeting state and system goals and objectives. It shall be brief and concise, reporting required information in nontechnical language.

(d) The statewide data reporting system shall include the data for each separately listed, applicable indicator identified in the rule promulgated pursuant to subsection (c) of this section and the aggregate of the data for all public institutions of higher education.

(e) A statewide annual report shall be prepared using actual institutional, state, regional, and national data, as applicable and available, indicating the present performance of the individual institutions, the governing boards, and the state systems of higher education. The report shall be based upon information for the current school year or for the most recent school year for which the information is available, in which case the year shall be clearly noted.

(f) The president or chief executive officer of each state institution of higher education shall prepare and submit annually all requested data to the commission at the times established by the commission.

(g) The higher education central office staff, under the direction of the vice chancellor for administration, shall provide technical assistance to each institution and governing board in data collection and reporting and is responsible for assembling the statewide annual report from information submitted by each governing board.

(h) Current data shall be published to the statewide data reporting system prior to January 1 annually. The statewide annual report shall be completed and disseminated with copies to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability prior to January 1 annually, and the staff of the commission and the council shall prepare a report highlighting specifically the trends, progress toward meeting goals and objectives, and major areas of concern for public higher education, including medical education, for presentation to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability annually at the interim meetings in January.

(i) The Vice Chancellor for Administration shall make a digital copy of the statewide annual report available to the public for download from the official websites of the commission and council.