Common Sense Privacy Program

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Privacy Evaluation for i-Ready

Last updated
Applications and services with a Pass rating have met our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices. Before using an application or service with this rating, parents, teachers, schools, and districts are strongly advised to read the full privacy evaluation as a starting point for the process of vetting the application or service. In addition, a more detailed review should happen before any child or student data is shared with a product.

90%

Pass

Learn how we rate

Overview

i-Ready is an online assessment and instruction tool that helps teachers provide all students a path to proficiency and growth in reading and mathematics. The terms say that student information is not visible publicly, and is only accessible to authorized teachers, administrators, and parents. The terms also say that the service collects student information directly from the school districts, including sensitive information such as ethnicity and free-lunch status. In addition, the terms say student information will not be sold, nor will identifiable student information be shared with third parties, and no advertising is displayed in i-Ready. The terms say that reasonable security is used, data in transit and at rest is encrypted, and users will be notified in the case of a data breach. The terms say that children under 13 are not allowed to register for an account, and if any information is collected from a child without verifiable parental consent, it will be deleted. Authorized users can access, correct, or delete personal information at any time through the service.

iReady can be accessed through its website. The Privacy Policy and Terms of Use accessed for this evaluation can be found on iReady’s website. Additionally, other policies used for this evaluation include: Your Rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act. This evaluation only considers policies that have been made publicly available prior to an individual using the application or service.

i-Ready is an online assessment and instruction tool that helps teachers provide all students a path to proficiency and growth in reading and mathematics. The terms say that student information is not visible publicly, and is only accessible to authorized teachers, administrators, and parents. The terms also say that the service collects student information directly from the school districts, including sensitive information such as ethnicity and free-lunch status. In addition, the terms say student information will not be sold, nor will identifiable student information be shared with third parties, and no advertising is displayed in i-Ready. The terms say that reasonable security is used, data in transit and at rest is encrypted, and users will be notified in the case of a data breach. The terms say that children under 13 are not allowed to register for an account, and if any information is collected from a child without verifiable parental consent, it will be deleted. Authorized users can access, correct, or delete personal information at any time through the service.

iReady can be accessed through its website. The Privacy Policy and Terms of Use accessed for this evaluation can be found on iReady’s website. Additionally, other policies used for this evaluation include: Your Rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act. This evaluation only considers policies that have been made publicly available prior to an individual using the application or service.

Safety

The terms state that student information is not visible publicly, and is only accessible to authorized teachers, administrators, and parents. The terms state that there are no user interactions between users, and there is no ability for users to upload user content created outside of i-Ready. In addition, other than responses to questions or instructional prompts, students cannot create content within i-Ready and user information does not involve the creation of a profile.

Privacy

The terms state that i-Ready collects student information directly from school districts, including: student name, birth date, gender, ethnicity or race, school enrollment, grade level, teacher, English language learner status, and eligibility for free- or reduced-price lunch. User behavioral and usage data is also collected. The service has taken the Student Privacy Pledge, and the terms disclose student information is not sold, behaviorally targeted advertising is not used, and collected information is used only for authorized purposes, with student data only used for education-related purposes.

The terms also state the service may share personal information with third-party service providers to support their business, and also share de-identified data for research purposes, but they will not share identifiable student data with third parties. In addition, the terms say no student data collected in connection with i-Ready is shared with third parties for any advertising, marketing, or tracking purposes.

Security

The terms state that accounts with passwords are required for use of the website. Reasonable security is taken with personal information, and data—both in transit and at rest—is encrypted. The service puts limits on employee access to personal data, none of which is stored outside the control of the vendor. In the event of a data breach, impacted users will be notified and the data that has been compromised will be specified, if known. In addition, the terms state schools are responsible for notifying teachers and parents of any breach, but the vendor will provide reasonable help if requested, along with reimbursing schools for reasonable expenses for providing these notices. Lastly, the terms say an annual security audit is completed by a third party, and the vendor implements recommended security changes, if practical.

Compliance

The terms are not clear regarding use of the product by children under 13. However, children may not register for an account or provide any information directly to the vendor, but the terms also specifically discuss students using the product. The terms state that the service does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 and will delete it if it is found to have been collected without verifiable parental consent, but parental consent methods are not clear. The terms clearly state that personal information about students is collected directly from school or districts and not from students themselves, and users are not to upload any material that could be considered an education record.

In addition, the terms say authorized individuals are able to access, correct, or delete personal information that they have provided, but no specific time period is given for how long the vendor has to make changes or deletions. The terms state that to delete a user's personal information, their user account will also be deleted. The service has taken the Student Privacy Pledge and the terms state they will not sell student information or engage in any behaviorally targeted advertising.

Rating

This product received a Pass rating based on the following details:
  • Personal information is not sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is not shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is not displayed.
  • Data are not collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is not used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Data profiles are not created and used for personalised advertisements.
Data Collection
SCORE: 45%

What data does it collect?

  • Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected.
  • The categories of collected personally identifiable information are indicated.
  • Unclear whether the collection or use of data is limited to product requirements.
  • Geolocation data are not collected.
  • Unclear whether this product collects biometric or health data.
  • Interactions, behaviors, or usage analytics data are collected.
  • Sensitive data are collected.
  • Data is automatically collected.
  • Unclear whether opt-in consent is requested from users at the time personal information is collected.
  • Personal information of users is collected by a third party.
Data Sharing
SCORE: 90%

What data does it share?

  • Collected information is shared with third parties.
  • The categories of information shared with third parties are indicated.
  • The purpose for sharing a user's personal information with third parties is indicated.
  • The categories of third parties that receive data are indicated.
  • Data are shared for analytics.
  • Data are shared for research and/or product improvement.
  • Third-party services are used to support the product.
  • The roles of third-party service providers are indicated.
  • Third-party login is supported.
  • Contractual limits are placed on third-party data use.
Data Security
SCORE: 90%

How does it secure data?

  • A user's identity is not verified with additional personal information.
  • Account creation is required.
  • Managed accounts are available.
  • Unclear whether multi-factor account protection is available.
  • Third-parties with access to information are required to provide the same security protections as the company.
  • Reasonable security practices are used to protect data.
  • Employee or physical access to user information is limited.
  • All data in transit are encrypted.
  • All data are stored in an encrypted format.
  • Notice is provided in the event of a data breach.
Data Rights
SCORE: 75%

What rights do I have to the data?

  • Users can create or upload content.
  • Users retain ownership of their data.
  • Processes to access or review user data are available.
  • Processes to modify data are available for authorized users.
  • A data-retention policy is available.
  • Processes for authorized users to delete data are available.
  • A user's data are deleted upon account cancellation or termination.
  • Data are deleted when no longer necessary.
  • Unclear whether methods are available to restrict who has access to data.
  • Unclear whether this product provides users the ability to download their data.
Data Sold
SCORE: 60%

Is the data sold?

  • Personal information is not sold or rented to third parties.
  • Users can opt out from the disclosure or sale of their data to a third party.
  • User information can be transferred to a third party in the event of a merge, acquisition, or bankruptcy.
  • Unclear whether users are notified if their information is transferred to a third party.
  • Unclear whether user information can be deleted prior to its transfer to a third party.
  • Unclear whether third-party transfers are contractually required to use the same privacy practices.
  • User information that is shared is shared in an anonymous or de-identified format.
  • The company describes their de-identification process of user information.
  • Data are shared for research and/or product improvement.
  • Contractual limits prohibit third parties from reidentifying or de-identified information.
Data Safety
SCORE: 60%

How safe is this product?

  • Users cannot interact with trusted users.
  • Users cannot interact with untrusted users, including strangers and/or adults.
  • Profile information must be not shared for social interactions.
  • Personal information can be not displayed publicly.
  • Users can control how their data are displayed to others.
  • Unclear whether user-created content is reviewed, screened, or monitored by the company.
  • Unclear whether user-created content is filtered for personal information before being made publicly visible.
  • Unclear whether social interactions between users are moderated.
  • Unclear whether social interactions of users are logged.
  • Users can report abuse or cyberbullying.
Ads & Tracking
SCORE: 65%

Are there advertisements or tracking?

  • Personal information is not shared for third-party marketing.
  • Traditional or contextual advertisements are not displayed.
  • Personalised advertising is not displayed.
  • Data are not collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is not used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Data profiles are not created and used for personalised advertisements.
  • The company can send marketing messages.
  • Unclear whether this company provides promotional sweepstakes, contests, or surveys.
  • Unclear whether this product provides users the ability to opt-out of contextual, or personalised advertising.
  • Unclear whether users can opt out or unsubscribe from marketing communications.
Parental Consent
SCORE: 60%

Can I provide parental consent?

  • Not intended for children under 13.
  • Personal information from children under 13 years of age is not collected.
  • Unclear whether intended for parents or guardians.
  • Company does have actual knowledge that personal information from users under 13 years of age is collected.
  • The company does provide a section, heading, or separate policy for children in their policies.
  • Parental consent is required before personal information is collected or disclosed.
  • Unclear whether this product limits parental consent with respect to third parties.
  • Unclear whether this product allows parents to withdraw consent for the further collection of their child's information.
  • Children's personal information is deleted if collected without parental consent.
  • Unclear whether this product provides parental consent notice and method for submission.
School Purpose
SCORE: 69%

Is the product intended for school?

  • Intended for students.
  • Personal information or education records are collected from preK-12 students.
  • Intended for teachers.
  • Product is primarily used by, designed for, and marketed toward students in grades preK–12.
  • Processes to enter education records into the product are described.
  • Unclear whether additional rights or protections may be provided with an additional school contract.
  • Company is designated as a school official.
  • Unclear whether this product transfers parental consent obligations to the school or district.
Individual Control
SCORE: 35%

Can I control the use of my data?

  • Users can control the use of their information through privacy settings.
  • Use of information is limited to the purpose for which it was collected.
  • The context or purpose for which data are collected is indicated.
  • Unclear whether company may combine data with additional data from third-party sources.
  • Combined information is not treated as personally identifiable information (PII).
  • Unclear whether notice is provided if the context in which data are collected changes.
  • Unclear whether consent is obtained if the practices in which data are collected change.
  • Unclear whether a grievance or remedy mechanism is available for users to file a complaint.
  • Unclear whether users can request to know what personal information has been shared with third parties.
  • Unclear whether notice is provided in the event the company receives a government or legal request for a user's information.

Common Sense Standard Privacy Report (SPR)

The standard privacy report (SPR) displays all the privacy practices from a product's policies in a single, easy-to-read outline. The report shows a green check mark for better privacy practices and an orange alert for risky or unclear practices. This alert indicates that more time should be focused on these particular details prior to use.

Learn more about the SPR Read the report

About Privacy Evaluations

The privacy evaluations have been designed with the help and support of a consortium of schools and districts across the United States. These evaluations are designed to help educators make informed decisions about the potential privacy implications of educational technology used to support teaching and learning.

Our core evaluation criteria will always be freely available. People are encouraged to read the questions we use and our information security primer. Vendors are encouraged to use our questions and the information security primer to self-evaluate. You can also learn more about our evaluation process. Please be in touch with any questions or feedback.