RICA Confidentiality and Security of Candidate Materials and Assessment Data
This document describes the policies and procedures related to the confidentiality and security of RICA submissions and candidate performance data for each phase of the assessment process:
- Transfer, Upload, and Storage of Assessment Materials
- Post-Submission and Scoring of Assessment Materials
This information applies to the handling of RICA submissions and candidate data by the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson (Evaluation Systems) and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).
The CTC owns all materials, including candidate submissions and data collected in relation to the RICA.
Candidate use of video for the RICA is restricted by the parameters of the release forms verified for all individuals featured in a video. Because parents/guardians/families and/or adults have not typically granted permission for public use of the videos in which they or their minors appear, videos must NOT be displayed publicly (e.g., through personal websites, YouTube™, or Facebook™).
Information about submission status may be provided to the preparation program in which the candidate is enrolled. Given the consequential nature of the RICA and associated program policies, educator preparation programs and candidates bear responsibility for reviewing teaching performance assessment requirements and ensuring candidates meet appropriate timelines established by their educator preparation programs, the RICA program, and the CTC.
Attestations
When candidates are ready to submit their assessment materials to Evaluation Systems for scoring, they are presented with candidate attestations, which include confirmation that they have verified the necessary consent forms from all individuals featured in video recordings and that they have not posted and will not post video recordings in any unsecured, public location. Candidates must keep their RICA video recordings under secure conditions and share with support providers only when appropriate permissions are granted.
Transfer, Upload, and Storage of Assessment Materials
Candidate assessment materials, including video recordings, are uploaded by the candidate directly into the designated RICA site. Transmission of assessment materials via this method is protected using industry-standard encryption practices.
Once materials have been uploaded directly into the RICA site, they must be reviewed and verified by the candidate before they are submitted for official scoring.
Storage
Assessment materials are stored by Evaluation Systems in secure repositories and areas accessible only to authorized users via unique, secure login credentials for specific actions and for limited periods of time.
Access
By using industry-standard security software (encrypted protocols and encrypted and expiring tokens), the system ensures that access to view the stored assessment materials, including video files, is granted only to the following authorized users:
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Authorized Evaluation Systems users, including scorers, scoring supervisors, scoring support personnel, and personnel required to conduct quality control
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Authorized CTC personnel associated with management of the RICA may view candidates' materials for the purposes of assessment development, selecting exemplar submissions, selecting scoring training materials, and monitoring scorer training, calibration, and scoring activities
Post-Submission and Scoring of Assessment Materials
Access
Following scoring, access to view assessment materials, including video files, is granted only to the following authorized users:
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Authorized Evaluation Systems users, including scorers, scoring supervisors, scoring support personnel, and personnel required to conduct quality control, or an investigation associated with compliance with the RICA Rules of Participation, as needed
- Authorized CTC personnel associated with management of the RICA may view candidates' materials for the purposes of assessment development, selecting exemplar submissions, selecting scoring training materials, and monitoring scorer training, calibration, and scoring activities
Authorized scorers access candidate assessment materials, including video recordings, through Evaluation Systems' password-protected secure scoring system. Candidate assessment materials are available only for the period in which scoring occurs. Scorers' access to the Evaluation Systems scoring system is disabled after the scorers' reviews are completed.
Access to Performance Data
Assessment results will be reported to the candidate, to the preparation program in which the candidate is enrolled, and to the CTC.
Other Uses of Candidate Materials
RICA submission materials, without candidate or other identifying information, may be used for RICA development and implementation, including scorer and faculty training and as exemplars to guide preparation programs and other candidates.
Retention and Destruction
The standard retention period for RICA submissions, including videos, is four years, after which submission materials will be destroyed. There may be exceptions to the standard retention period for extenuating circumstances, such as a voided score or use for training purposes.
After the retention period, RICA submissions, including videos, are disposed of through a set of automated processes that identify and physically delete the artifacts from their repository locations. These processes are executed on a regular, periodic basis and render the artifacts inaccessible and irretrievable.
Candidate performance results and associated identifying information will be retained indefinitely, supporting the reproduction of results reports for candidates as requested.
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