A student needs only a username and password. For the account we collect a student’s first name, last name, username, and password, plus their grade level, school and classes; then the work they do in Algebro. We do not collect student phone numbers or physical addresses, and we do not condition participation on providing more information than that.
Username and password always works, and whether students may also sign in through Google or ClassLink is your school’s decision. Google sign-in for students is on by default and a school administrator can turn it off in one click; while it is on, each student chooses whether to sign up with their school Google account (a personal Gmail address is refused) or to connect a Google account to the account they already have. A student who signs in with Google signs in through our login provider (Clerk), which holds that address for sign-in; Algebro does not copy it into its own database. A school that connects ClassLink sends the student’s school email with each sign-in; the login provider holds it to identify the account, and Algebro does not copy it into its own database either. Algebro keeps no student email addresses and never emails students.
During a class’s meeting times, and on an “Only in class” quiz or test, Bro Watch shows the class’s teachers when a student’s Algebro tab is hidden or left, for how long, and which kind of Algebro page they were on. A web page can only see its own tab, so it never records what else is open or where the student went. It is on by default: a school administrator can turn it off for the school and a teacher for one class. Time-away records are kept 400 days. Parents do not see it.
When a school or district uses Algebro, we operate as a “school official” with a legitimate educational interest under FERPA’s school-official exception (34 CFR § 99.31(a)(1)). Education records remain the property of the school or district, and we use them only for the purposes the school authorizes.
For students under 13, school-created accounts rely on COPPA’s school consent exception (16 CFR § 312.5(c)(4)): the school consents on behalf of parents, for educational purposes only. Parent-created student profiles rely on direct verifiable parental consent instead. Either way, we comply with Florida’s student privacy law (FSOPIPA, Fla. Stat. § 1006.1494): no targeted advertising, no profiling outside K-12 purposes, no selling or renting student information.
The complete details, including retention periods and parental rights, are in our Privacy Policy.