Overview
Achieve3000 provides a cloud-based service for nonfiction reading and writing that maps student work to that student's reading level. The terms of Achieve3000 specify that students do not have the ability to share any data about themselves outside the services. The terms also specify that Achieve3000 does not rent or sell data to third parties. In addition, Achieve3000 may work with business partners to improve their services and that these business partners may receive aggregate or anonymized data. Achieve3000 makes reasonable efforts that include physical, administrative, and technical safeguards to keep data secure. In addition, the terms state that personal information is protected by the most current version of Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption and data are stored in encrypted file systems with the encryption keys stored and maintained in separate secured systems. As noted in the Security section and in the terms, accounts are only available via participating schools, districts, or educational agencies. The terms also specify that schools and districts often sign a "School District Agreement" that contains additional provisions governing the use of the service.
Achieve3000 can be accessed through its website, and is available for download at the iOS App Store, and the Google Play Store. The Privacy Policy and Terms of Use accessed for this evaluation can be found on Achieve3000’s website, iOS App Store, and the Google Play Store. Additionally, other policies used for this evaluation include: Terms of Service. This evaluation only considers policies that have been made publicly available prior to an individual using the application or service.
Safety
The terms of Achieve3000 specify that students do not have the ability to share any data about themselves outside the services. Use of the services is governed by a code of conduct that is included in the terms. Achieve3000's policy says that it is not obligated to monitor any social interactions, but may monitor interactions at their discretion. The terms also say if a teacher or administrator shares a draft assessment with other users in order to collaborate with them, those users will have access to that assessment. Also, if a teacher or a school or district administrator, adds a co-teacher to a class, the co-teacher will have access to teacher and student data.
Privacy
The terms specify that Achieve3000 does not rent or sell data to third parties. The terms also state that Achieve3000 can work with business partners to improve their services and that these business partners can also receive aggregate or anonymized data. The terms state that the service can be connected with third party providers such as Facebook or Google, and that Achieve3000 can receive information from these services. The terms say Achieve3000 does not use cookies to serve third-party advertisements, nor to target users with behavioral advertising on the service. In addition, the terms say Achieve3000 does not share personal information of any of its users with third parties for their marketing purposes, nor track users to target advertisements on other websites.
Security
Achieve3000's terms specify that student data should be provided in an "electronic form (.CSV comma separated values or .XLS Excel format) regarding each student who will utilize each Service." The pre-set sample rosters used to generate these lists include fields for student IDs, student first and last name, email address, password, gender, and grade level.
The terms also state that Achieve3000 makes reasonable efforts that include physical, administrative, and technical safeguards to keep data secure. In addition, the terms state that personal information is protected by the most current version of Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption and data stored in encrypted file systems with the encryption keys stored and maintained in separate secured systems. The terms contain detailed information about regular security audits additional security protections. Lastly, the terms contain an up-to-date incident response plan that includes responsibilities, how information security events are assessed and classified as incident, and notification of users without undue delay after becoming aware of the security breach.
Compliance
As noted in the Security section and in the terms, accounts are only available via participating schools, districts, or educational agencies. The terms also specify that schools and districts often sign a "School District Agreement" that contains additional provisions governing the use of the service. The contents of different School District Agreements are outside the scope of this evaluation as they are not publicly available, and can vary between districts. Ideally, these agreements would be publicly available, consistent across districts, and address requirements and responsibilities under FERPA and COPPA. Lastly, the terms state educators can access, modify, and delete personal information of students at any time through the service.
Overall Score
Every privacy rating includes an overall score. A higher score (up to 100%) means the product provides more transparent privacy policies with better practices to protect user data. The score is best used is as an indicator of how much additional work a person will need to do to make an informed decision about a product.
| Basic Score | Full Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Assessment | 93 | 68 |
Concerns
The privacy evaluation process summarizes the policies of an application or service into concern categories based on a subset of evaluation questions that can be used to quickly identify particular practices of a vendor’s policies. These concerns are composed of evaluation questions that can be used to calculate scores relative to that concern.
| Concern | Basic Score | Full Score |
|---|---|---|
| Data Collection: Protecting personal information | 83 | 60 |
| Data Sharing: Protecting data from third parties | 100 | 80 |
| Data Security: Protecting against unauthorized access | 100 | 80 |
| Data Rights: Controlling rights to data | 88 | 85 |
| Data Sold: Preventing sale of data | 75 | 70 |
| Data Safety: Promoting responsible use | 100 | 75 |
| Ads & Tracking: Prohibiting the exploitation of users' decision making process | 93 | 75 |
| Parental Consent: Protecting children’s personal information | 100 | 65 |
| School Purpose: Following student data privacy laws | 100 | 88 |
| Individual Control: Controlling data use | NA | 50 |
Statutes
Each statute or regulation is associated with one or more evaluation questions. As such, we can calculate scores for each statute or regulation using only those questions associated with the statute or regulation. Each specific statute or regulation's score serves as an indirect proxy indicating the likelihood of the application or service satisfying all of its compliance obligations.
| Statute | Basic Score | Full Score |
|---|---|---|
| California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA) | 94 | 74 |
| Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) | 93 | 71 |
| Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) | 93 | 75 |
| Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (SOPIPA) | 95 | 79 |
| General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) | 97 | 71 |
| The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) | 93 | 74 |
Privacy Policy Details
1: Transparency
1.1: Policy Version
- Privacy policies do indicate a version or effective date.
- Privacy policies do not indicate a change log or past policy version is available.
1.2: Policy Notice
- Users are notified if there are any material changes to the policies.
- Privacy policies indicate the method used to notify a user when policies are updated.
1.3: Policy Changes
- Users are notified prior to any material changes to the policies.
- Changes to the policies are not effective immediately and continued use of the product requires additional consent.
1.4: Policy Coverage
- Privacy policies indicate the products that are covered by the policies.
1.5: Privacy Contact
- Users can contact the company about any privacy policy questions, complaints, or material changes to the policies.
1.6: Policy Principles
- Privacy policies do indicate privacy principles, layered notices, or a table of contents.
1.7: Policy Language
- Privacy policies are not available in multiple languages.
1.8: Intended Use
- Intended for children under 13.
- Unclear whether intended for teens.
- Unclear whether intended for adults over 18.
- Unclear whether intended for parents or guardians.
- Intended for students.
- Intended for teachers.
2: Focused Collection
2.1: Data Collection
- Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected.
- The categories of collected personally identifiable information are indicated.
- 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.
2.2: Data Source
- Personal information or education records are collected from preK-12 students.
- Personal information from children under 13 years of age is collected.
2.3: Data Excluded
- Unclear whether specific types of personal information excluded from collection.
- Unclear whether specific types of collected information are excluded from the privacy policy.
2.4: Data Limitation
- Collection or use of data is limited to product requirements.
3: Data Sharing
3.1: Data Shared With Third Parties
- Collected information is shared with third parties.
- The categories of information shared with third parties are indicated.
3.2: Data Use by Third Parties
- The purpose for sharing a user's personal information with third parties is indicated.
- Data are shared for analytics.
- Data are shared for research and/or product improvement.
- Personal information is not shared for third-party marketing.
3.3: Data Not Shared With Third Parties
- Specific categories of information are not shared with third parties.
3.4: Data Sold to Third Parties
- Personal information is not sold or rented to third parties.
3.5: Third-Party Data Acquisition
- Unclear whether personal information about users is obtained from third parties.
3.6: Third-Party Links
- Links to third-party external websites are not age-appropriate.
3.7: Third-Party Data Access
- Third parties are authorized to access a user's information.
3.8: Third-Party Data Collection
- Unclear whether personal information of users is collected by a third party.
3.9: Third-Party Data Misuse
- Unclear whether personal information can be deleted from a third party.
3.10: Third-Party Service Providers
- Third-party services are used to support the product.
- The roles of third-party service providers are indicated.
3.11: Third-Party Affiliates
- Unclear whether the categories of third parties that receive data are indicated.
3.12: Third-Party Policies
- Links to privacy policies of third-party companies are not available.
3.13: Third-Party Data Combination
- Unclear whether company may combine data with additional data from third-party sources.
- Unclear whether data shared with third parties can be combined with other data.
3.14: Third-Party Authentication
- Third-party login is supported.
- Personal information from third-party login providers is collected.
- Unclear whether personal Information is shared with third-party login providers.
3.15: De-identified or Anonymized Data
- User information that is shared is shared in an anonymous or de-identified format.
- Unclear whether the company describes their de-identification process of user information.
3.16: Third-Party Contractual Obligations
- Contractual limits are placed on third-party data use.
- Unclear whether contractual limits prohibit third parties from reidentifying or de-identified information.
4: Respect for Context
4.1: Data Use
- Use of information is limited to the purpose for which it was collected.
- The context or purpose for which data are collected is indicated.
4.2: Data Combination
- Unclear whether this product treats combined information as personally identifiable information (PII).
4.3: Data Notice
- Notice is provided if the context in which data are collected changes.
4.4: Data Changes
- Consent is obtained if the practices in which data are collected change.
4.5: Policy Enforcement
- Accounts may be terminated if users engage in any prohibited activities.
5: Individual Control
5.1: User Content
- Users can create or upload content.
5.2: User Consent
- Opt-in consent is requested from users at the time personal information is collected.
5.3: Remedy Process
- Unclear whether a grievance or remedy mechanism is available for users to file a complaint.
5.4: Data Settings
- Users can control the use of their information through privacy settings.
5.5: Data Disclosure
- Users can opt out from the disclosure or sale of their data to a third party.
- 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.
5.6: Intellectual Property
- Users retain ownership of their data.
- Unclear whether a copyright license is claimed to data or content collected from a user.
- Unclear whether any copyright license to a user's data is limited in scope or duration.
6: Access and Accuracy
6.1: Data Access
- Processes to access or review user data are available.
- Methods are available to restrict who has access to data.
- Processes to review student data are available for the school, parents, or students.
6.2: Data Integrity
- Unclear whether the company attempts to maintain the accuracy of data they collect.
6.3: Data Correction
- Processes to modify data are available for authorized users.
- Processes for the school, parents, or students to modify inaccurate student information are available.
- Unclear whether the time period for the company to modify inaccurate data is indicated.
6.4: Data Retention
- A data-retention policy is available.
- Exceptions to the data retention policy exist.
6.5: Data Deletion
- Data are deleted when no longer necessary.
- A user's data are deleted upon account cancellation or termination.
- Processes to delete user data are available.
- Processes for authorized users to delete data are available.
- The time period for the company to delete data is indicated.
6.6: Data Portability
- Unclear whether this product provides users the ability to download their data.
- Unclear whether a user can assign an authorized account manager or legacy contact.
7: Data Transfer
7.1: Data Handling
- User information can be transferred to a third party in the event of a merge, acquisition, or bankruptcy.
- Users are notified if their information is transferred to a third party.
7.2: Transfer Request
- User information can be deleted prior to its transfer to a third party.
7.3: Onward Contractual Obligations
- Third-party transfer is contractually required to use the same privacy practices.
8: Security
8.1: User Identity
- Unclear whether a user's identity is verified with additional personal information.
8.2: User Account
- Account creation is required.
- Managed accounts are available.
- Unclear whether multi-factor account protection is available.
8.3: Third-Party Security
- Third-parties with access to information are required to provide the same security protections as the company.
8.4: Data Confidentiality
- Reasonable security practices are used to protect data.
- Employee or physical access to user information is limited.
8.5: Data Transmission
- All data in transit are encrypted.
8.6: Data Storage
- All data are stored in an encrypted format.
- The company is clear what jurisdiction a user's personal information is subject to.
8.7: Data Breach
- Notice is provided in the event of a data breach.
8.8: Data Oversight
- Data-privacy and/or security-compliance audits are performed.
9: Responsible Use
9.1: Social Interactions
- Users can interact with trusted users.
- Users cannot interact with untrusted users, including strangers and/or adults.
- Profile information must be shared for social interactions.
9.2: Data Visibility
- Personal information can be not displayed publicly.
- Users can control how their data are displayed to others.
9.3: Monitor and Review
- User-created content is reviewed, screened, or monitored by the company.
- User-created content is filtered for personal information before being made publicly visible.
- Social interactions between users are moderated.
- Unclear whether social interactions of users are logged.
9.4: Report Content
- Users can filter or block inappropriate content.
- Unclear whether users can report abuse or cyberbullying.
9.5: Internet Safety
- The company provides links to resources that support safe and appropriate social interactions.
10: Advertising
10.1: Company Communications
- A user can receive service- or administrative-related communications from the company.
10.2: Traditional Advertising
- Traditional or contextual advertisements are not displayed.
10.3: Behavioral Advertising
- Personalised advertising is not displayed.
10.4: Ad Tracking
- 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.
10.5: Filtered Advertising
- Unclear whether ads displayed to children are filtered for inappropriate content.
10.6: Marketing Communications
- The company can send marketing messages.
- Unclear whether this company provides promotional sweepstakes, contests, or surveys.
10.7: Unsubscribe
- Unclear whether this product provides users the ability to opt-out of contextual, or personalised advertising.
- Users can opt out or unsubscribe from marketing communications.
10.8: Do Not Track
- Unclear whether this product responds to "Do Not Track" or other opt-out mechanisms.
- Unclear whether the company provides a method for users to opt-out from third-party tracking.
11: Compliance
11.1: Children Under 13
- 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.
- Account creation is restricted or prohibited for users under 13 years of age.
11.2: Students in K–12
- 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.
- Additional rights or protections may be provided with an additional school contract.
- Company is designated as a school official.
11.3: Parental Consent
- 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.
- Parental consent notice and method for submission are provided.
- Parental consent obligations are transferred to the school or district.
11.4: Legal Requirements
- The legal jurisdiction that applies to the laws governing the policies is indicated.
- A user is required to waive the right to a jury trial, or settle any disputes by arbitration.
- A user is required to waive the right to join a class action lawsuit.
- A company will disclose personal information to law enforcement.
11.5: Certification
- The company has signed a privacy pledge or received a privacy certification.
11.6: International Laws
- A user's data are subject to International data transfer or jurisdiction laws.
- The company has indicated it is a Data Controller or Data Processor.