Posting Grades
REG 02.50.5
Authority: Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
History: First Issued: Fall 1975. Last Revised: July 27, 2007. Additional History Information.
Contact Info: Dean, Undergraduate Academic Affairs (919-515-3037)
1. After final exams, many teachers post
grades to inform students of their course grades. The posting of grades
is strictly regulated by federal law, in particular the Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act ("FERPA" or "Buckley Amendment").
Relevant portions of this law are:
2. Grades are considered a part
of a student's educational record and may not be released or posted
in any personally identifiable form, including listing by Student Identification Number, unless the student gives written consent. Acceptable
alternatives for distributing test results and grade information to
students include:
2.1. Posting of grades by Student Identification Number for all
student who sign a consent statement for each occasion on which grades are
to be posted or for the entire semester. If the consent is given for the entire
semester, it should be made clear that this consent may be withdrawn at any
time during the semester. The written consent may be obtained by a petition
to be signed by all members of the class who wish their grades posted or by
having a consent statement on the answer sheet of each test or exam. Examples
of Consent
Statements for Posting of Grades form.
2.2. Posting of grades without
a consent statement by using a system of random numbers or letters
or other symbols, not personally identifiable, known only by the teacher
and the individual student.
2.3. The return of graded papers
directly to individual students. Allowing the students to pick their
paper or test from a stack should not be done as it does not assure
privacy.
2.4. The mailing of grades
in self-addressed and self-stamped envelopes.
2.5. The oral dissemination
of grade information by a departmental secretary or teaching assistant,
provided that the students requesting their own grades offer sufficient
identification. (Note: It is intended that the choice of alternative
method for disseminating test scores and grades should be left to
the individual teacher. However, the use of secretarial or other departmental
assistance is contingent upon its availability as determined by the
department head.)
2.6. Information from educational
records may not be released to a student's parents without the consent
of the student, unless the student is a dependent student. A dependent
student is defined as a student who receives more than 50% of his/her
support from parents as defined by IRS regulations. To confirm dependency
status, the university official must receive either a copy of the
parent's most recent federal income tax return showing the parent
claimed the student as a dependent for exemption purposes, or a signed
and dated statement from the student to the effect that he or she
receives more than 50% of his/her financial support from the parents.
