1. FERPA TRAINING Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act

2. Purpose of This Training At the end of this tutorial, you will have:  Read about the rights given to students by FERPA  Demonstrate how to handle some common situations instructors face that may involve FERPA

3. What is FERPA? FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. It was passed by Congress in 1974 and the act grants four specific rights to a college or university student:  The right to see the educational records that the institution maintains on the student  The right to seek amendment to those records, and in certain cases append a statement to the record  The right to consent to disclosure of his/her educational records  The right to file a complaint with the FERPA office in Washington D.C.

4. What is included in a student’s educational record?  Personal information  Enrollment records  Grades  Schedules  Financial records  Disciplinary records

5. What are some basic rules?  Student records are confidential and cannot be released without the student’s written consent  Faculty members have a responsibility to protect a student’s educational record  Some information, usually called “Directory Information,” may be released without permission, although students may opt out of this.  You have access to information that is only for the legitimate purpose as part of your position at the college  “Need to know” is a basic principle to remember

6. What can an instructor share? An instructor can share directory information only. Directory information includes:  Name, address, telephone, email address, unless marked confidential  Dates and place of birth  Dates of attendance  Grade level (freshman, sophomore, etc.)  Weight and height of members of athletic teams  Degrees, honors, and awards received  Most recent school attended

7. DON’T…….  Discuss grade issues or a student’s progress via text or email addresses other than the student’s CAC email account or Blackboard  Throw away documents that may have a student’s ID, SSN, or other personal information  Leave a stack of graded papers for students to sort through, or let a student pass out graded assignments  Share examples of student work without express permission, and remove identifying information  Discuss the progress of a student with anyone other than the student (even parents and spouses) without the consent of a student

8. What precautions can I take to avoid violating FERPA?  Correspond with students using CAC student/staff email when discussing any grade-related issues  Shred any documents that may have a student’s ID, SSN, or other personal information  If you have a student worker, ask them to complete the FERPA tutorial, especially if they may see student grades  Use Blackboard to record grades

9. Scenario One  One of your best students has asked you to write a letter of recommendation for her scholarship application. In it, you discuss how she consistently earned A’s on every major assignment. You also mention that she has a 4.0.

10. Scenario One

11. Scenario Two  Adam is a very intelligent 16-year old who is taking your class in order to earn some college credits while he simultaneously completes his high school diploma. His parents are very proud of him and they have a positive relationship with Adam. Adam is earning an 88% in your course at the present time. His mother calls you to explain that his work has suffered recently because his grandmother, to whom Adam is very close, has been ill. She explains that Adam freely lets her log into his Blackboard account so she can keep up with his schoolwork. She would like to discuss letting Adam make up some of his recent work that was missed due to this situation.

12. Scenario Two

13. Scenario Three  Amy and John are a married couple taking your course this semester. It is an online course and John seems to be doing well, but Amy struggles with some of her assignments. Amy calls you and says that she wants you to explain why John received an A on the last assignment, but she received a C. She asks that you show how you graded John’s paper in comparison to hers.

14. Scenario Three

15. Scenario Four  Suzanna has asked you to be a reference for her, as she has applied for a position at a local company. When you receive the call for a reference check, the potential employer asks you to describe what kind of a student Suzanna was in your class. What information can you share?

16. Scenario Four

17. Scenario Five  A fellow instructor asks you about Adrian, a student you had in a class in a previous semester. He says that Adrian has asked for accommodations for the final exam and asks you what kind of accommodations you gave Adrian when he was in your class.

18. Scenario Five

19. Scenario Six  In your Spanish class, you administer a quiz every Friday. You then ask each student to give his or her quiz answers to a classmate. Then, as a group, the students grade one another’s work and you provide the correct answers. You feel that this peer grading technique is very valuable. A student objects, saying that no one else should know how he is doing in the class and this violates FERPA.

20. Scenario Six

21. FERPA Tutorial Completed You have completed the FERPA tutorial. For more information on FERPA, visit the U.S. Department of EducationU.S. Department of Education For questions regarding specific instances or situations as a faculty member at Central Arizona College, please contact your division/program chair or the Registrar’s Office.