Staff FAQ
Distributing graded work in a way that exposes the student’s identity or leaving personally identifiable graded papers unattended is no different from posting grade publicly. If the papers contain “personally identifiable” information, then leaving them unattended for anyone to see if a violation of FERPA. Using readily available tools (e.g. Blackboard) to distribute grades or graded papers should be given first consideration. Other possible solutions for distributing grade information to students would be to leave graded papers (exams, quizzes, and homework) with an assistant or secretary who would ask students for proper identification prior to distributing them, leave graded work in a sealed envelope with only the student’s name on it, or use a code name or number known only to the student and faculty member to identify graded work. Another option is to attach a cover sheet (no WSU ID #) to each grade paper/assignment which conceals the grades. Position the documents on a table under direct supervision of a WSU employee while the students pick up their assignments.
The public posting of grades either by the student’s name, student identification number or Social Security number without the student’s permission, is a violation of FERPA even if the names are obscured. Grades should be posted in myWSU and/or in the designated Learning Management System.
Instructors can notify students of their final grades via the U.S. mail if the information is enclosed in an envelope. Notification of grades via postcard violates a student’s privacy. Posting grades on a web site that is open to public access or in a way that exposes individual grades to other class members is not acceptable. The preferred method for communicating grade information is through Blackboard.
Yes peer-grading is permitted by FERPA. Peer-grading is a common educational practice in which teachers require students to exchange homework assignments, tests, and other papers, grade one another’s work, and then either call out the grade or turn in the work to the teacher for recordation. Once the work is collected and grades are recorded then FERPA applies.
Written permission of the student is required for a letter of recommendation if any information included in the recommendation is part of the “education record” (grades, GPA, and other non-directory information) or is an assessment of student performance, such as rank in class. Statements made from personal observation or knowledge do not require a signed release.
FERPA Training & Certification. Click the "Begin" tab for the training and certification test.
Go back to the FERPA Training & Certification page and select "Begin". If your certification is still valid, the screen will state "You successfully passed training on XX/XX/XX."