southern methodist university private research university fall 2010 enrollment 10,938 undergraduate...
TRANSCRIPT
FERPA Informationand Training
SACRAO 2011
Joe Papari Director of Enrollment ServicesSouthern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Private Research UniversityFall 2010 Enrollment 10,938 Undergraduate 6,192 Graduate/Professional 4,746
Outline
FERPA Information at SMU
Students Authorize Release & Place Restriction
Faculty/Staff View of FERPA Authorization
Training and online Tutorial
FERPA Information for
Students, Parents,
Faculty & Staff
The intent of the legislation is to protect the rights of students and to ensure the privacy and accuracy of education records.
The Act provides students with the right to inspect and review education records, the right to seek to amend those records and the right to limit disclosure of information from the records.
School officials may not disclose personally identifiable information about students nor permit inspection of their records without consent unless such action is covered by certain exceptions permitted by the Act.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA)
What are Considered Educational Records?
• from which a student can be personally identified and
• maintained by the university
With certain exceptions, an education record is any record
• electronic• handwritten • print• magnetic tape• file• diskette, etc
Education records include any records in whatever medium
in the possession of any school official
When do FERPA rights begin?
Students’ FERPA rights begin when they enroll at the university, regardless of their age.
Who Must Comply with FERPA?
Faculty: Permanent and AdjunctStaff: Permanent and TemporaryStudent EmployeesStudent Organizational LeadersContractors, Consultants and Volunteers(whose job roles have given them access to educational records)
All University employees including:
How Do Students Authorize Release of Their Educational Records?
Access.SMU
Self Service
Student Center
Release of Education Records
Defining Access Granted for Education Records
View financial aid awarded and accepted within Access.SMU.Discuss financial aid situation with SMU Officials.
Financial Aid
View all holds applied to student within Access.SMU.Discuss Holds, including why the Hold was placed and how to remove it, with the administering SMU business office.
Holds
View account balances and Campus Essentials selections within Access.SMU.Discuss account balances and Campus Essentials with SMU Officials.Student Financials
The student has specifically stated not to release data to this relation.Do Not Release
Discuss all Disciplinary Records/Information with the Student Conduct and Community Standards Office.Students can choose to grant partial access to Disciplinary Records by not selecting the All Disciplinary check box but instead by submitting a form to the Student Conduct and Community Standards Office.
All Disciplinary Records
View class enrollments, grades, and unofficial transcript within Access.SMU.Discuss student Academic Records (including class enrollments, grades, degree progress, class performance, and academic advising) with SMU faculty, staff and academic advisors.
Academic Records
Students may grant others access to view their confidential information for various areas.
Students may add access for any of their relationships.
First, they must “create a new relationship” before access can be granted.
Students may create as many new relationships as they want. A relationship can be a friend or any other person the student wishes to grant access.
Students have the right at any time to edit their account and adjust who can view their confidential information.
Relations View
Students' FERPA Directory Restrict and Release
FERPA Releases Available to Faculty/Staff
Releasable Directory Information
Non-Releasable Directory Information
Releasable Enrollment
Releasable Participation
Opens the University Registrar’s FERPA website
Releasable Directory Information
SMU’s Definition of DirectoryInformation
NOT Releasable Directory Information
Faculty & Staff are provided information about students’ releasable directory information....
Full Directory Restriction
… and are also provided information when students restrict their directory information for release.
View Releases by Student
Inquire
Release of Education Records
Access.SMU
How Do Administrative users Know Students Have Granted Access?
View Releases by Student
Class Roster
Faculty Center
Self Service
Access.SMU
How Do Faculty Members Know Students Have Granted Access?
Faculty/Staff View for Students’ FERPA Authorization
Faculty/Staff should always check a student’s authorized access so they know to whom the student is granting access and what information is authorized for release.
How Does FERPA Apply to Faculty?
Grades
Returning Assignments
Recommendation Letters
Talking with Parents
Posting Grades
Even with names obscured, numeric student identifiers are considered personally identifiable information and therefore violates FERPA.
However, it is permissible to use unique, confidential, instructor assigned identifiers that are NOT tied to the student’s SSN, SMU ID, DOB or other personal information.
The public posting of grades either by the student’s name, SMU ID number or Social Security Number (whole or part of it), is a violation of FERPA.
Returning Assignments and ExaminationsIt’s a violation of FERPA for faculty to leave graded exams where students can see their classmates’ grades and work. Leaving personally identifiable, graded papers or examinations unattended for students to view is no different from posting grades in the hallway. A student’s right to privacy of education records should be honored at all times.
Permission for Recommendation LettersStudents requesting letters of recommendation or professional references must provide faculty with written authorization if personally identifiable information obtained from the students’ education records is included in the letters of recommendation, such as grades.The authorization must be requested from the student prior to writing a letter of recommendation.Retaining the letter of recommendation is not required, but it is suggested that faculty retain the permission letter for six months.The sample permission letter includes a waiver statement that the faculty may or may not choose to use.
Student Name and SMU ID#
Include name and address of the specified third party requesting the recommendation letter.
List of specific student Education Record information that you want included in the letter.
Circle one of the two options
Faculty name
It is suggested that faculty keep a copy of the permission letter for at least six months.
Talking with Parents
If contacted by parents (and others) requesting information regarding a student’s progress in a
course, deficiencies in a subject area, final grades, grades on exams, or other information about academic progress
you will need to verify that the student has consented to the release of that information to that specific requestor.
How SMU Keeps Faculty Current with FERPA Regulations
Email Letter
Newsletters
Online Tutorial
A newsletter is sent out electronically each fall and spring before the term begins and contains a reminder about FERPA.
An electronic letter is mailed at the end of term in the fall and spring reminding faculty of FERPA guidelines.
An online tutorial and quiz are provided on the FERPA website for all faculty.
DO refer requests to the Registrar’s Office when you are uncertain how to respond.
DO release a student’s information to him or her when you can positively identify the student. Remember telephone and e-mails are not reliable methods to make positive IDs.
DO post grades on Access.SMU.
DO check Access.SMU to verify student’s consent prior to releasing information.
DO feel comfortable to contact the Registrar’s Office for assistance including the one time parental release for dependent students.
DO shred unneeded confidential documents.
DO hide confidential information on computer screens from unauthorized individuals.
DO NOT display student scores or grades publicly in association with names, student
ID numbers (even the last 4 digits of the SSN) or other personal identifiers.
DO NOT put exam papers containing student names and grades in publicly
accessible places. Students should not have access to the scores and grades of
the other students in class.
DO NOT share by phone or e-mail information from student education
records, with parents or others outside the institution, including letters of
recommendation, without written permission of the student.
DO NOT circulate a class Roster and/or Grade Roster since it will have the students’ names and students IDs.
DO NOT view education records for personal reasons.
DOs DO NOTs
“When In Doubt, Don’t Give Out”
SMU’s Caring Community Connections and FERPA
Caring Community Connections (CCC) is an online program established for faculty and staff to register concerns about students who may be in distress.
If a faculty member has a concern about a student, an online form is completed for follow-up by the Office of Student Life.
The Office of the Provost sends out an e-mail to all faculty and staff reminding them about our Caring Community Connections along with important contact information.
Tools Available to Faculty
Advisee Lists
Authorized Access Screens
Faculty Center
FERPA Website
Gradebook
Roster - Class
Roster - Grade
FERPA Website, Faculty/Staff instructions
The Importance of the Shade
The “Shade Icon” is a very important graphic as it tells faculty & staff which students have restrictions.
Faculty members have the ability to view their Class Rosters which show directory restrictions, student photos and release records.
Faculty can view which students have given authorized access to family and friends and to which educational records they have granted access.
There are many FERPA reminders for faculty as they navigate through Access.SMU.
Gradebook is another tool which helps faculty manage their grading records for students. FERPA information is incorporated into Gradebook.
Faculty View of Advisees
New Drop-In Advisees Information