Benchmark 1: School Design

The ECHS shall establish a leadership team that includes high-level personnel from the school district, campus, and institute of higher education (IHE). Each representative must report to the organization they represent and have decision-making authority. The leadership team shall develop long-term strategic priorities for the ECHS program along with a work plan for how to achieve programmatic goals in coordination with district and campus improvement planning.

ECHS staff shall include the following:

• An ECHS leader who has authority over course and instructor scheduling, staff and faculty hiring, and budget development
• An IHE liaison with decision-making authority who interacts directly and frequently (in-person or virtually) with the ECHS leader and the dual credit provider
• Highly qualified ECHS teachers who work directly with the ECHS students, which may include high school faculty who must meet faculty requirements that are set by the regional accrediting association of the community college and/or university to teach college-level courses, instructors for virtual college courses, and instructors for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses
• Highly qualified ECHS high school counselor who collaborates directly and frequently with the IHE advisor or liaison to support the ECHS students. The ECHS counselor and IHE advisor shall jointly support ECHS students through IHE course registration and shall monitor high school and college courses and transcripts to ensure programmatic requirements for both the high school and IHE are met

The leadership team shall include leaders from the district, campus, and IHE who have decision-making authority to execute changes toward this end: