FERPA Quiz

Check your understanding of the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) with this short quiz.  Multiple choice questions may have more than one correct answer.

 Question 1:
Whose record is confidential and protected by FERPA?

a) A current Maryville College student

b) An alum who received a Maryville College degree in the 1950's

c) A community member who took a non-credit class at Maryville College a couple of years ago just for fun

d) A prospective student who has applied to a degree program but has never taken classes at Maryville College

e) Santa Claus

Answer 1

Question 2:
Is it okay for professors to leave graded exams, papers, etc., outside their office for students to pick up?

Yes  |  No

 Question 3:

Which of the following is a school official?

a) A student worker in the bookstore

b) A member of the housekeeping staff

c) The spouse of a student

d) A Maryville College accountant

e) The barista at the nearby Starbucks

f) The President of the University

g) A faculty member

Answer 3

Question 4:
An unauthorized person retrieves information from an employee's computer screen that was left unattended. Under FERPA, is the institution responsible?

Yes  |  No

 Question 5:
Which of the following is an education record?

a) Email about a student sent from an advisor to financial aid.

b) A student's schedule displayed on a computer monitor

c) A class list

d) A student's grades

e) The yearly Schedule of Courses

f) The Beatles' White Album

g) A student's phone number, which he has written down and handed to a classmate

Answer 5

Question 6:
You have been granted access to certain educational records in accordance with your duties at Maryville College. Since this is information to which you are entitled under FERPA, can you redisclose this information to any party?

Yes  |  No

 Question 7:
Which of the following constitutes legitimate educational interest?

a) A staff member heard that a student is ill and wants to mail her a card.  He looks up her address in Power Campus.

b) An instructor emails the Dean of Students with concerns about a student.

c) The Alumni Office wants contact information so they can invite certain graduates to speak at an alumni event.

d) An instructor conducting research for her doctoral dissertation wants contact information for students who have taken her classes in the past.

 

Answer 7

Question 8:
You are facing an emergency situation where you fear for the health and safety of the student or other individuals if you do not release certain protected information to a third party. Can you exercise judgment and release the information?

Yes  |  No

 Question 9:
Who could be negatively impacted if you violate FERPA?

a) You

b) One or more students

c) Maryville College

d) FERPA Fairies

Answer 9

Question 10:
If a student's parent calls asking how a student is doing in class, can you give out that information?

Yes  |  No

 Question 11:
You find a printout of a student's course schedule on a desk in an empty classroom.  You should:

a) Leave it where it is in case the student needs it

b) Pick it up and shred it

c) Give it to the Office of the Registrar

d) Think "green" - grab it and use the back side for scratch paper!

Answer 11

Question 12:
You receive a call from a recruiting firm asking for names and addresses of students with a GPA of 3.0 or better. They say they have good job information for these students. Can you help these students get jobs by giving out this information?

Yes  |  No

Question 13:
Does FERPA prohibit the disclosure of the work address and telephone number of an alumnus by the Alumni Relations Office?

Yes  |  No

Question 14:
A student's father presents a piece of paper signed by the student that states: "I consent to the disclosure of my education records to my father." The paper is signed and dated. The father proves to you that he is the father of the student in question. Does this constitute sufficient written consent under FERPA?

Yes  |  No

Acknowledgement:

To submit confirmation and certify your completion of this FERPA tutorial, please fill out one of the following forms.

 





1:

Answers (a), (b), and (c) are correct.  FERPA applies to anyone who has ever taken a class at Maryville College, even if it was a long time ago or a non-credit class.  Answers (d) and (e) are incorrect because the applicant and Santa have never taken a class at Maryville College.

2. Incorrect:


That is a violation of the privacy rule because it is inappropriate for students to have access to other students' information.

General Rule: You cannot leave personally identifiable materials in a public place.

2. Correct:


That is a violation of the privacy rule because it is inappropriate for students to have access to other students' information.

General Rule: You cannot leave personally identifiable materials in a public place.

3.

All answers are correct except (c) and (e).  A school official is any employee or agent of the College including, but not limited to: faculty, staff, volunteers, interns, alumni mentors, student workers, and the Board of Trustees.

4. Correct:


Information on a computer screen should be treated the same as printed reports.

General Rule: The medium in which the information is held is unimportant. No information should be left accessible or unattended, including computer displays.

4. Incorrect:


Information on a computer screen should be treated the same as printed reports.

General Rule: The medium in which the information is held is unimportant. No information should be left accessible or unattended, including computer displays.

5:

Answers (a), (b), (c), and (d) are correct.  These are records that are directly related to students and maintained by the College.  Answer (e) is incorrect because the Schedule of Courses does not contain information about specific students.  Answers (f) and (g) are incorrect because the record was neither created nor maintained by the College.

6. Incorrect:


FERPA states that you may not redisclose information without prior written consent.

General Rule: There are some occasions when this is allowable, such as release to organizations conducting educational studies, accrediting agencies, and judicial orders. Check with the Registrar before releasing information.

6. Correct:


FERPA states that you may not redisclose information without prior written consent.

General Rule: There are some occasions when this is allowable, such as release to organizations conducting educational studies, accrediting agencies, and judicial orders. Check with the Registrar before releasing information.

7:

Answers (b) and (c) are correct.  The shared or requested information is necessary for those involved to carry out their assigned duties at the College.  Answers (a) and (d) are incorrect because those involved do not have the need to know the information in order to fulfill their duties at the College.

 

8. Correct:


The health and safety of members of the Maryville College community is paramount and FERPA is not intended to increase the risk to individuals' safety in an emergency situation.

General Rule: There is a provision in FERPA which states you may release information from an educational record to an appropriate person "in connection with an emergency if knowledge of the information is necessary to predict the health or safety of the student or other individuals."

8. Incorrect:

The health and safety of members of the Maryville College community is paramount, and FERPA is not intended to increase the risk to individuals' safety in an emergency situation.

General Rule: There is a provision in FERPA which states you may release information from an educational record to an appropriate person "in connection with an emergency if knowledge of the information is necessary to predict the health or safety of the student or other individuals."

9:

Answers (a), (b), and (c) are correct.  As a school official, it is your responsibility to uphold FERPA. Not doing so could result in disciplinary action or termination for you, a privacy violation for the student, lawsuits for the College, and even loss of federal financial aid. (We are not sure about answer (d)....)

 

10. Incorrect:


Even though the person inquiring may be the student's parent, FERPA recognizes students in post-secondary education as adults, regardless of age. Therefore, you cannot give out that grade, or any other non-directory information.

General Rule: You must assume that the student is an adult who is entitled to privacy, even from parents. Parents may (not must) be allowed access to the records if the student is a dependent according to tax code. Note: FERPA does not mandate that the school provide parents access to the records even if the parents can prove the student is a dependent. It is always best to obtain written consent from the student before providing parents access to records.

10. Correct:


Even though the person inquiring may be the student's parent, FERPA recognizes students in post-secondary education as adults, regardless of age. Therefore, you cannot give out that grade, or any other non-directory information.

General Rule: You must assume that the student is an adult who is entitled to privacy, even from parents. Parents may (not must) be allowed access to the records if the student is a dependent according to tax code. Note: FERPA does not mandate that the school provide parents access to the records even if the parents can prove the student is a dependent. It is always best to obtain written consent from the student before providing parents access to records.

11:

Answers (b) and (c) are both acceptable. If you are unsure whether the document is easily replaceable, give it to the Office of the Registrar so they can contact the student if needed.

 

12. Incorrect:


Although we all want to help students to get good jobs, that request should be sent to the appropriate office.

General Rule: Do not give out student information that pertains to grade point average to anyone without prior written consent of that student. Though Directory Information (e.g., names, addresses, etc.) may be given out, if it is filtered against non-Directory Information (e.g., GPA), prior student written consent is required. In this case the request should be forwarded to the Registrar's Office. ALL outside requests for any information such as Dean's Lists should be referred to the Registrar's Office. Information about the recruiting firm could be provided to students in the appropriate major and to Center for Calling & Career.

12. Correct:


Although we all want to help students to get good jobs, that request should be sent to the appropriate office.

General Rule: Do not give out student information that pertains to grade point average to anyone without prior written consent of that student. Though Directory Information (e.g., names, addresses, etc.) may be given out, if it is filtered against non-Directory Information (e.g., GPA), prior student written consent is required. In this case the request should be forwarded to the Registrar's Office. ALL outside requests for any information such as Dean's Lists should be referred to the Registrar's Office. Information about the recruiting firm could be provided to students in the appropriate major, and to Center for Calling & Career.

13. Incorrect:


FERPA does not protect information about a student that is gathered after the student graduates. Had the request been for the alum's GPA, FERPA would apply.

13. Correct:


FERPA does not protect information about a student that is gathered after the student graduates. Had the request been for the alum's GPA, FERPA would apply.

 
 

14. Incorrect:


This consent does not specify the records to be disclosed, the identity of the person to whom they are disclosed, or the purpose of the disclosure. Specific information concerning the records, the name of the person to whom the disclosure is made and the purpose of the disclosure must be presented in writing.

14. Correct:


This consent does not specify the records to be disclosed, the identity of the person to whom they are disclosed, or the purpose of the disclosure. Specific information concerning the records, the name of the person to whom the disclosure is made and the purpose of the disclosure must be presented in writing.