Policy
Each faculty member is accountable for ensuring the
confidentiality of all student educational records in accordance
with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA),
As Amended. In accordance with this responsibility, faculty of
the University of Missouri-St. Louis will not post or display,
either electronically or in hard copy, lists of students’ grades
in personally identifiable forms, including the student’s
name or any four consecutive digits of students’ Social
Security numbers or student identification numbers.
Background
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, As Amended (FERPA),
governs access to records or data maintained by an educational institution
and the release of such records or data. Grades are considered a
part of a student's educational record and may not be released or
posted in any personally identifiable form unless the student gives
prior written consent. (Prior consent is not required to disclose
a student's grade information to other UM-St. Louis officials whom
the University has determined to have legitimate educational interests.)
The Family Policy Compliance Office within the Department of Education
has determined that the practice of posting grades by a student number
or Social Security number (or a portion of those numbers) is a violation
of FERPA. Therefore, posting lists of examination scores or course
grades or returning tests or papers to students in ways that make
it possible for students to obtain information about other students'
scores or grades is a violation of FERPA.
Acceptable Method for Faculty to Post Course
Assignment Grades
Faculty may use features of MyGateway to record grades for components
(e.g., tests, papers, etc.) of each class they teach. By entering their
user name and password, students may access their recorded class-related
grades, including the final grade earned in a class, from any location
once the faculty member has electronically recorded these grades. Faculty
should use this secure method of reporting class-related grades in
lieu of posting grades in public places.
Use of E-mail to Inform Students of Their Grades
Notification of grades via e-mail is not recommended because confidentiality
of grades reported via e-mail cannot be assured.
Methods for Students to Obtain Course Final Grades
The electronic options, described below, offer UM-St. Louis students
convenient ways to obtain their course final grades each semester.
Because students may readily obtain their course final grades by using
any of these options, the four campuses of the UM System no longer
distribute grade reports to students via the U.S. postal service, effective
Fall Semester, 2001.
Electronic access for course final grades is now available through the following options:
- STARUMSL - Student
Access to Records at UM-St. Louis.
Available online at http://www.umsl.edu/~register/star.htm - T.R.A.I.N. - Touch
Tone Registration And Inquiry Network.
Available by touch tone telephone at 314-516-7000, option 4 - MY GATEWAY – Once students have logged in they’ll see a new icon for “Semester Grades” at the top of the welcome screen.
These electronic options make grades available to students as soon as they have been recorded. Summer 2003 grades in their entirety should be attainable using any of the above options 48 hours after the close of each session.
To access grades through STARUMSL or T.R.A.I.N., students must know their student number and personal identification number (P.I.N.). First time users of T.R.A.I.N. and STARUMSL must enter the month and day of birth and then create a four digit P.I.N.
Policy reviewed and Approved by Council of Deans, July 2003.