Scholar Within, Inc. (“Scholar Within,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates Scholar Within, Fluent Within, Summer Reading, AI Reading Coach, and related websites, applications, programs, and services, including scholarwithin.com, fluentwithin.com, and summerreading.net (collectively, the “Services”).
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect Personal Information through the Services. It describes our practices; it does not replace a separate consent or authorization required by law. When verifiable parental consent, school authorization, SMS consent, or another affirmative authorization is required, we request it separately before the applicable collection, use, or disclosure begins.
Scholar Within, Inc. is the operator responsible for children’s information:
Scholar Within, Inc.
238 Poet Smith Dr.
Auburn, CA 95603
Phone: 530-823-2085
Email: hello@scholarwithin.com
Child-data and Fluent Within privacy inquiries: hello@scholarwithin.com
Related terms and service-specific notices are available at scholarwithin.com/terms, fluentwithin.com/privacy, fluentwithin.com/terms, and fluentwithin.com/sms-consent.
What information do we collect?
We collect information from you when you register on our site, place an order, subscribe to our newsletter, respond to a survey or fill out a form.
When ordering or registering on our site, as appropriate, you may be asked to enter your: name, e-mail address, mailing address, phone number or credit card information. You may, however, visit our site anonymously. You may contact us to correct your information.
Account Sign-In and OAuth Data. You may create or sign in to a Scholar Within account with email and password or another supported sign-in method. You may also use your Scholar Within account to sign in to Fluent Within. If you choose an OAuth or single sign-on flow, we receive or exchange basic account information, such as your name, email address, and account identifier, for authentication and account linking. We use this information to create or sign you in to your Scholar Within account, associate purchases, program access, and saved reading assessments with the correct account, communicate about your account, and maintain account security. Scholar Within does not request access to Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, or other Google services through this sign-in flow.
What does this Privacy Policy cover?
This Privacy Policy covers our treatment of personally identifiable information (“Personal Information”) that we may gather when you are accessing or using our Website or the Scholar Within, Inc. Services, but not the practices of companies we don’t own or control, or people that we don’t manage. We gather various types of Personal Information from our users, as explained in more detail below, and we use this Personal Information internally in connection with our Website and the Scholar Within, Inc. Services, including to contact you, to fulfill your requests for certain products and services, to provide and improve the Scholar Within, Inc. Services, and to analyze how you use the Website. In certain cases, we may also share some Personal Information with third parties, but only as described below.
Children’s Privacy and Authorized Use. Scholar Within and Fluent Within are intended to be used by adults, parents, legal guardians, educators, schools, and children, including children under 13. A child under 13 may not independently create an account, provide consent, enter a parent contact method, or start a reading assessment through Scholar Within or Fluent Within.
Before a parent-directed child assessment begins, an adult must create or sign in to an account, complete the adult checkpoint, review the direct child-data notice, affirm that the adult is the child’s parent or legal guardian, and complete an available parent-verification method. We do not enable the microphone or collect the child’s assessment audio unless the required consent or other lawful authorization is active.
A school or educator may administer an assessment only through a school-authorized workflow and only when the school or organization has the authority required by applicable law and its agreement with us. The “Parent/Teacher Checkpoint” name is a product label; it does not allow an educator to make a parent-or-guardian attestation.
If you believe a child provided Personal Information outside one of these authorized paths, contact hello@scholarwithin.com. If we learn that we collected a child's Personal Information outside an authorized parent or school path, we will promptly delete it unless we are legally required to retain it.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the revised Policy with a new effective date and provide any additional notice required by law. Material changes apply prospectively unless otherwise permitted by law. A change that materially expands the collection, use, or disclosure of children’s Personal Information does not replace any new direct notice or parental consent required by law.
Information You Provide to Us
We may receive and store any information you knowingly provide to us, including information you post on our website and information in correspondence with us. For example, we may collect Personal Information such as your name and email address. Certain information may be required to take advantage of some of our features.
Information Received from Third Parties
We may receive information about you from third parties who have represented to us that they have the authority and the legal right to collect and provide us with that information. Those third parties may include customers of Scholar Within, Inc. with whom you have a relationship, and providers of information who may have collected your information through a separate relationship with you or from public records.
Information Collected Automatically
Whenever you interact with our Website, we automatically receive and record information on our server logs from your browser or device, which may include your IP address, device identification, “cookie” information, the type of browser and/or device you’re using to access our Website, the page or feature you requested, and other tracking technologies such as pixels and end-user website activity. “Cookies” are identifiers we transfer to your browser or device that allow us to recognize your browser or device and tell us how and when pages and features in our Website are visited and by how many people. You may be able to change the preferences on your browser or device to prevent or limit your device’s acceptance of cookies, but this may prevent you from taking advantage of some of the Website’s features. If you click on a link to a third-party website or service, such third party may also transmit cookies to you.
Cookies, Analytics, and Advertising. Scholar Within’s adult-directed public marketing and commerce pages may use analytics, attribution, advertising, retargeting, social-media, and conversion-measurement technologies. These providers may use cookies, pixels, tags, browser or device identifiers, hashed identifiers, and page-interaction information to measure site and campaign activity, limit ad frequency, recognize browsers or devices, and deliver or measure advertising, subject to applicable law and available cookie and opt-out controls.
We do not load advertising trackers on Fluent Within child-assessment, parent-consent, or logged-in recording pages. We do not use children’s information, assessment data, recordings, parent-consent contact information, or mobile opt-in information for targeted or cross-device advertising. Service-essential identifiers may be used for authentication, security, fraud prevention, session continuity, and other internal operations, but not to build advertising profiles about children. A third-party site reached through a link may apply its own cookie policy.
Providers used on these adult-directed pages may include AdRoll/NextRoll, Meta/Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Pinterest, and other analytics, advertising-network, social-media, attribution, and marketing-technology providers. The providers and features we use may change. For more information about how these providers use and collect information, please review the AdRoll/NextRoll Service Privacy Notice, X Privacy Policy, Meta Privacy Policy, and Pinterest Privacy Policy.
In addition, if you use any Scholar Within, Inc. Services, we may collect information regarding your login, your account and data you may process using the Scholar Within, Inc. Services.
When we collect the usage information described above, other than to provide support related to your use of the Scholar Within, Inc. Services, we only use this data in anonymized, aggregate form, and not in a manner that would identify you personally. For example, this aggregate data can tell us how often users use a particular feature of the Website, and we can use that knowledge to make the Website interesting to as many users as possible.
If you want to opt out of targeted advertising, please contact us at hello@scholarwithin.com.
Mobile Phone Numbers, SMS, and Text Marketing
Scholar Within and Fluent Within operate separate text-message programs. Consent to one is not consent to the other. Providing a phone number, creating an account, beginning checkout, purchasing a product, or accepting general Terms does not by itself enroll a number in either program.
Fluent Within transactional texts. The optional Parent/Teacher Checkpoint program may send a requested secure link or code, a consent receipt after the parent or legal guardian agrees on the website, and a later confirmation. Only the subscriber or customary user may enroll a number, and an educator may not enroll someone else's number. SMS consent is separate from parental consent for child data, is not a condition of purchase or use, and may be avoided by using the email option.
Records and sharing. We collect the mobile number and limited records of opt-in, messages, delivery, and STOP, START, UNSTOP, or HELP events as needed to deliver, secure, and document the program. We disclose this information only to messaging platforms, carriers, and service providers acting on our behalf, or when required by law. We do not sell mobile information or share mobile opt-in data or consent for another party's marketing or promotional purposes. We remove the raw number when it is no longer needed for the requested messages, support, security, or legal obligations.
Frequency, charges, and choices. Message frequency varies by request, longer notices may arrive in multiple segments, and message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to stop future program texts. Reply HELP, email hello@scholarwithin.com, or call 530-823-2085 for help. If the sender is a toll-free number, text START or UNSTOP before requesting messages again. Delivery is not guaranteed, and carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
Scholar Within reminders and marketing. If you separately opt in through a Scholar Within form that identifies a reminder or marketing program, we may send the messages described at that point of consent. Consent is optional and not a condition of purchase. Message frequency varies, message and data rates may apply, and you may reply STOP to opt out or HELP for help. This choice does not enroll the number in the Fluent Within checkpoint program.
See SMS Consent and Program Details for the Fluent Within opt-in workflow, rejoining instructions, and representative messages.
Will Scholar Within, Inc. Share Any of the Personal Information it Receives?
We do not sell or rent Personal Information, including children's information, audio recordings, assessment results, or parent consent information. We disclose Personal Information only in the circumstances described in this section:
Aggregated Anonymized Personal Information. We may anonymize your Personal Information so that you are not individually identified and provide that information to our partners to understand how often and in what ways people use our Website and the Scholar Within, Inc. Services. However, we never disclose aggregate information to a partner in a manner that would identify you individually.
Service Providers and Subprocessors. We use companies to perform tasks on our behalf, including hosting, authentication, database and file storage, security, email and text delivery, payment and parent-verification processing, automated speech processing, customer support, and monitoring. They receive only the information reasonably needed for those tasks and process it under agreements and our instructions. They may not sell child or student information, use it for advertising, or use it for their own independent purposes.
Payment Processor. Stripe hosts and processes card checkouts, including the one-time $1 parent verification when needed, and receives the adult's card and billing information under its own privacy terms. We receive transaction status and limited identifiers needed to validate an authorization, send notices and receipts, provide support, and address disputes. The requirements for a qualifying purchase are described in the Children's Privacy section below. We do not receive or store the full card number.
Corporate Transactions. Information may be transferred as part of a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, bankruptcy, or sale of assets, subject to applicable law. A recipient remains bound by the restrictions applicable when child, student, consent, and mobile opt-in information was collected unless we provide additional notice and obtain any new consent required by law.
Scholar Within, Inc. Customers. If you use the Services in connection with your work or relationship with one of our customers, we may disclose information related to your authorized use to that company or organization. This provision does not authorize disclosure of parent-directed child assessment information, school-provided student information beyond the governing agreement, parent-consent contact information, or text-message opt-in data. A parent-directed disclosure requires the separate parent-authorized share-link process described in this Policy or another legally sufficient authorization.
Protection of Scholar Within, Inc. and Others. We reserve the right to access, read, preserve, and disclose any information that we reasonably believe is necessary to comply with law or court order; enforce or apply other agreements; or protect the rights, property, or safety of Scholar Within, Inc., our employees, our users, or others.
Promotions and General Sharing. Any promotion or disclosure described elsewhere in this Policy applies only to information lawfully collected for that purpose. It does not include children’s assessment information, school-provided student information, parent-consent contact information, or text-message opt-in data unless a separate legally sufficient authorization expressly covers that disclosure. We may use an adult’s account or purchase contact information to send information about Scholar Within products and services only as permitted by law and subject to applicable opt-out rights.
Research Partners. We may share only de-identified aggregate assessment findings that have passed the review and approval described above with educational researchers, academic institutions, or research partners to study literacy development and reading improvement trends. Recipients must use the information only for the approved purpose, protect it, refrain from attempting to re-identify or contact any individual, restrict redisclosure, and comply with applicable retention and destruction requirements. We do not share the restricted row-level dataset, the stable research-subject identifier, either protected mapping, a school or organization identity, identifiable Personal Information, individual child results, or audio recordings for research. Any research use of an audio recording would require separate, explicit permission that describes that use.
Is Personal Information about me secure?
We endeavor to protect the privacy of your account and other Personal Information we hold in our records, but unfortunately, we cannot guarantee complete security. Unauthorized entry or use, hardware or software failure, and other factors, may compromise the security of user information at any time. In particular, you acknowledge that Scholar Within, Inc. is not responsible for any loss of any passwords or login information which you receive for access to Scholar Within, Inc. Services which results from your failure to keep that information secure.
Audio recordings collected through the Reading Assessment Services are transmitted using encrypted connections. Saved recordings are held in storage systems protected by technical and organizational security controls. Outside a current parent-authorized unlisted share link, access is restricted to authorized accounts, systems, and personnel. A temporary browser-local recording is also subject to the security of the adult's browser and device. No method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security of audio data.
What Personal Information can I access?
You may contact us at hello@scholarwithin.com to request deletion of any Personal Information we have. This includes audio recordings, assessment results, and any other data collected through the Reading Assessment Services.
The information you can view, update, and delete may change as the Website changes. If you have any questions about viewing or updating information we have on file about you, please contact us at hello@scholarwithin.com.
Under California Civil Code Sections 1798.83-1798.84, California residents are entitled to ask us for a notice identifying the categories of Personal Information which we share with our affiliates and/or third parties for marketing purposes, and providing contact information for such affiliates and/or third parties. If you are a California resident and would like a copy of this notice, please submit a written request to: hello@scholarwithin.com.
What choices do I have?
You can always opt not to disclose information to us, but keep in mind some information may be needed to take advantage of some of our special features or may be required by your relationship with one of Scholar Within, Inc.’s customers.
You have the right to request access to any Personal Information which Scholar Within, Inc. may have by contacting hello@scholarwithin.com. The information will be provided in a machine-readable format. You may also ask that we transfer the Personal Information to a third party, which we will do if technically feasible.
You also have the right to review, add and update your Personal Information. You may also request the deletion of your Personal Information where: the Personal Information is no longer necessary in relation to the purposes for which it was collected or otherwise processed; you withdraw consent to Scholar Within, Inc.’s possession of the information on which the processing is based and where there is no other legal ground for Scholar Within, Inc.’s retention of the information; you object to Scholar Within, Inc.’s possession of the information and there is no overriding legitimate basis for the retention; the Personal Information has been unlawfully obtained or processed; or the Personal Information has to be erased for compliance with a legal obligation in the European Union or other law to which Scholar Within, Inc. is subject.
When you update information, however, we may maintain a copy of the unrevised information in our records. Some information may remain in our records after your deletion of such information from your account. We may use any aggregated data derived from or incorporating your Personal Information after you update or delete it, but not in a manner that would identify you personally.
Children's Privacy and Parental Consent
Scholar Within, Inc. is committed to protecting the privacy of children. The following provisions apply specifically to data collected from or about children under the age of 13:
Parent or Guardian Consent Required. Children under 13 may not create accounts or use the Reading Assessment Services independently. Before we enable the microphone or collect child audio for a parent-directed assessment, a signed-in adult must review the current AI Reading Coach Direct Notice, affirm that the adult is the child's parent or legal guardian, and complete an available parent-verification method. We do not collect the child's assessment information if the parent declines.
Verification Methods. Methods may include a free delayed email or text checkpoint, a real one-time $1 card verification, a qualifying paid plan or account checkout, or staffed phone or live-video verification. For the free method, we send a secure link or code within 24-48 hours; the recipient reviews the notice and agrees on the Fluent Within website. We then send a receipt with the notice and revocation instructions and a later confirmatory follow-up, which does not delay access.
For instant card verification, the adult agrees before authorizing a real, one-time, non-refundable $1 charge. The charge is not a subscription and does not add tests or upgrade a plan. A paid purchase qualifies only when it includes a configured qualifying product, presents or incorporates the current notice, requires acceptance of the current Terms and Privacy Policy, is linked to the adult's account, and results in a settled positive payment. A renewal alone does not establish initial authorization.
During staffed phone or video verification, trained staff reasonably confirm adult identity and parent or guardian authority, present the notice, identify whether the authorization covers one student or the account, and record an affirmative or negative decision. We do not record the call or video or retain sensitive verification answers.
Scope and Reuse. A student-scoped authorization covers only that student. An accepted account-level authorization covers current and future students for whom the account holder has parent or legal-guardian authority. Authorization is tied to the account and may be reused while current. It covers the internal collection and processing needed to provide, save, secure, support, and improve AI Reading Coach; it does not by itself authorize a share link or another disclosure of identifiable student information. The account holder may revoke authorization at any time, and a material notice change or revocation requires new authorization before affected collection resumes.
Optional AI Speech Coaching Blocks. AI Reading Coach is optional. An account holder may request an account-wide block without canceling a Scholar Within account or program, and an authorized administrator may block it for a selected student or organization. While a block applies, Fluent Within does not record new reading audio or send it for AI speech analysis within that scope. A block is separate from revocation and deletion: placing or removing it does not change an existing authorization or delete previously collected information, and re-enabling does not require new authorization while the existing authorization remains current.
Information Processed by Fluent Within. Depending on the assessment and features selected, we may collect and process:
- The child’s name or nickname, age, current grade, reading level, and spelling level as entered by an authorized adult;
- Audio of the child reading, including voices or background sounds captured by the microphone;
- Automated speech output used to calculate the assessment, which may include a machine-generated transcript, word timing, pronunciation information, and identified errors;
- Reading speed, words read, mistake and error counts, accuracy, fluency, pronunciation, completeness, prosody, and related assessment or progress results;
- Passage, reading level, assessment type, session timestamps, and basic device, browser, security, and assessment-session information;
- Parent, guardian, educator, school, organization, account, and student-profile relationships needed to administer the Service; and
- Limited records documenting consent or school authorization, such as the method, time, applicable notice, scope, transaction or message identifiers, security information, and revocation status.
We use this information to provide and save assessments; process speech; calculate and display results; maintain progress history; permit authorized playback and review; administer accounts and schools; provide support; investigate technical or security issues; prevent misuse; comply with law; and perform the limited research and service-improvement activities described below.
A child’s voice recording is Personal Information. We do not use a child’s recording to create a voiceprint, identify the child by their voice, or authenticate identity. We do not sell children’s Personal Information, use it for advertising or targeted advertising, build advertising profiles about children, or permit our service providers to do so.
Audio Recordings and Assessment Data
When you use the Fluent Within Reading Assessment Services, we collect and process audio of the reading session to generate assessment results. An adult must create or sign in to an account before starting an assessment. Completed recordings and results are saved to that account by default as described below.
Collection. Audio is recorded through the device's microphone only after the required parent consent or school authorization is active and an authorized adult starts an assessment. It is securely transmitted to our systems and speech-processing subprocessors for automated analysis of reading speed, accuracy, pronunciation, and identified errors.
Storage. The browser may keep a temporary working copy while a recording is processed or while a saved recording is uploaded. The completed recording and results are stored in secure systems operated by Scholar Within, Inc. and its infrastructure service providers. Outside a current parent-authorized unlisted share link, access is restricted to authorized accounts, systems, and personnel who need it to provide or support the service.
Retention. A browser-local upload copy expires 15 minutes after it is queued and may be removed sooner. Saved recordings and the broader identifiable child record follow the Identifiable Child Data Retention and Saved Audio Retention provisions described in this Policy. Consent evidence, minimal deletion events, and restricted research metrics follow their separately stated legal, audit, and research controls.
Subprocessor Processing. We use service providers as subprocessors for speech analysis, pronunciation assessment, infrastructure, and storage. They process audio for us under contractual protections and our instructions, only as needed to provide the service; they may not sell it, use it for advertising, or use it for their own independent purposes. Audio analysis is automated and recordings are not routinely listened to. Limited authorized personnel may access a recording only when needed to provide requested support, investigate a technical or security issue, or comply with law.
Restricted Pseudonymous Longitudinal Research and De-Identified Aggregate Outputs
When authorized by the applicable assessment notice or agreement, we may use assessment measurements in a separately restricted, pseudonymous internal research dataset to:
- Study trends in reading improvement and literacy development;
- Analyze individual progress, repeat assessments, and distinct-student counts;
- Improve the accuracy and quality of our assessment algorithms;
- Contribute to educational research and publications;
- Publish de-identified aggregate findings in public research reports; and
- Develop and improve educational features and services related to reading assessment and instruction.
The dataset may include a stable, randomly generated research-subject identifier; assessment quarter and type; grade, reading, spelling, and assessed levels; words per minute; words read and missed; accuracy and duration; error counts; and pronunciation, fluency, completeness, and prosody scores. The random identifier lets us study progress over time and count distinct students without directly identifying them.
We keep the mapping between that random identifier and the student and account in a separately protected area used only to enforce authorization, retention, opt-out, and deletion. For school assessments, organization and authorization information is kept in a separate protected governance mapping. Researchers cannot access either mapping, and research rows do not contain names, contact details, direct child, account, household, school, organization, device, or source-assessment identifiers, IP addresses, exact timestamps, passage text, audio, recognized text, or transcripts.
The row-level dataset is pseudonymous, not anonymous, and remains inside our controlled environment. We may also create aggregate datasets containing cohort information, distinct-student and assessment counts, and summary metrics. Before releasing any aggregate findings, we review disclosure risk, applicable agreements, related releases, and other reasonably available information. We describe information as de-identified only when we reasonably determine that it will not identify a child, account, household, school, or organization. Recipients must protect approved data, use it only for the approved purpose, and not try to re-identify or contact anyone.
We do not use research metrics for advertising or promotional targeting. We do not use audio, recognized text, or transcripts for research, or provide them to research partners, without separate explicit permission describing that use.
Research Retention and Opt-Out. We retain restricted research records and internal aggregate datasets only as long as needed and delete them within five years, or sooner when required by an applicable opt-out, school instruction, or agreement. Research contribution is enabled under the applicable assessment notice or agreement. An account holder or authorized administrator may opt out at any time through account settings or by contacting hello@scholarwithin.com, without affecting the Reading Assessment Services. Opting out stops new inclusion and deletes the account's current pseudonymous rows and protected mappings. If research is later re-enabled, otherwise-eligible assessments still retained by the Service may be included. Because aggregate datasets do not contain an account or research-subject mapping, an individual contribution cannot be identified or selectively removed after aggregation or an approved release; those datasets remain subject to their retention, use, and destruction controls.
Parent-Authorized Share Links. At a parent's separate direction, we may disclose one selected assessment through an unlisted bearer link. A current account-level parent verification or qualifying paid credential may be reused for eligible assessments without another $1 charge, but verification or payment alone shares nothing. For each link, the parent must authorize the selected assessment and separately choose whether the link includes results, audio, or both. No recipient sign-in is required, so anyone who receives, obtains, or is forwarded the link can access the selected content until the link expires or is revoked. A link expires 30 days after creation or reactivation and may be revoked sooner in the parent account's Data area.
Verification and Consent Records. We retain limited records needed to document the verification method, time, notice, scope, affirmative decision, confirmations, transaction or message identifiers, revocation, and related legal obligations. We do not store the raw birth year or send it to Stripe, and we do not receive or store a card's full number. Contact information collected only for a checkpoint is removed when it is no longer needed for the requested messages, support, security, or legal obligations. Student-scoped records follow the child's retention period; account-level records follow the account's retention period.
Payment Reversals. A fully refunded payment does not qualify. A full refund, chargeback, or other terminal reversal invalidates the authorization and reusable sharing credential derived from that payment. A separate current authorization may continue to support access. We retain transaction and authorization records as needed to document what occurred.
Schools and Educational Organizations. When a school or educational organization contracts with Scholar Within to provide Fluent Within, the school determines which students and authorized users may use the Service. Where the applicable requirements are satisfied, Scholar Within processes education records as a school official performing a contracted institutional service under the school’s direct control concerning the use and maintenance of those records.
We use school-provided student information only to provide the contracted educational service and for other purposes lawfully authorized in the applicable agreement or data processing agreement (“DPA”). Research using identifiable or organization-mapped school data must be for the use or benefit of the school or rest on another legally sufficient authorization. We do not use school-provided student Personal Information for advertising or unrelated commercial purposes. Parents and eligible students should generally direct education-record requests to their school, and we assist the school with access, correction, export, deletion, and other legally required requests.
A school’s authorization under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) applies only when the collection is for the use and benefit of the school and not for an unrelated commercial purpose. Nothing in this Policy represents that every use of Fluent Within is governed by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) or that these general terms alone establish the school-official exception.
Data Collected from Children. After the required consent or school authorization, we may collect: the parent or guardian email address or mobile number and consent record for a parent-directed assessment; the child's name or nickname, age, grade, and reading level as entered by the adult; audio of the child reading a designated passage; reading speed, accuracy, pronunciation results, and identified errors; and basic device and assessment-session information.
Use of Children's Data. We use a child's reading-session data to generate the assessment, let the parent and child review the saved recording and results, track reading progress in the supervising account, and operate, secure, and support the service. Speech-processing subprocessors process audio for us as described in this Policy. We do not sell a child's Personal Information, use it for advertising or targeted advertising, or permit our subprocessors to do so.
Parental Rights. A parent or legal guardian may review the Personal Information collected from their child, request deletion of the child's audio recordings and assessment data, revoke a student-scoped authorization and end that child's participation with Fluent Within, revoke an account-wide authorization for all students covered by that authorization, and stop future collection within the affected scope. Revocation does not silently revoke a separate current authorization and is distinct from requesting deletion of information already collected. A parent may exercise these rights through the supervising account where available or by contacting us at hello@scholarwithin.com.
Accounts and Temporary Browser Copies. An adult must create or sign in to an account before entering assessment information, completing parent verification, or starting a reading assessment. If the account has no current qualifying parent-verification credential, the $1 option establishes one; it is not a subscription and does not add tests or upgrade the plan. A current credential may be reused on the same account for eligible assessments and share-link authorizations without another verification charge. Completed assessments and their recordings are saved to the account by default. While a recording is being processed or uploaded, the browser may keep a temporary working copy; a queued browser copy expires after 15 minutes and may be removed sooner. A recording saved to an account follows the retention period described below.
Identifiable Child Data Retention. For an individual account, identifiable child data is retained for 24 months by default, and the account holder may select 24, 36, 48, or 60 months. The account retention clock restarts when the account completes a new assessment owned by that account or has a qualifying Fluent Within or Scholar Within membership, program, or subscription activation or renewal. When the clock expires, the child profile and its associated identifiable assessment and account data become eligible for scheduled deletion unless an active school or organization scope still requires retention. A student-scoped staffed-verification record, its events, and its email audit follow that child scope and are purged when the child profile is deleted. An account-wide staffed-verification record is not tied to one child and remains when an individual child is deleted because it documents authorization covering other current and future students. We retain that account-wide evidence while needed to document the account authorization and any later revocation, and purge it with the parent account, subject to any retention required by law. For schools and organizations, the retention period and clock are controlled by the applicable contract or DPA and may be refreshed upon a documented contract renewal.
Saved Audio Retention. Saved recordings also age individually from their recording date under the selected account period or applicable school contract period. Shortening a period may schedule older recordings for deletion; increasing it cannot restore recordings already deleted. A recording may be deleted sooner at the account holder's or school's request. Deleting audio alone does not delete its assessment result, but expiration of the broader identifiable-data period may delete the child profile, results, recordings, and other associated identifiable data. Restricted, pseudonymous research rows described in the Research section of this Policy follow their separate research retention and governance controls. We may retain a minimal, non-child-identifying deletion event as needed to document that deletion occurred; it contains no audio, transcript, raw storage locator, child identifier, or staffed-verification evidence.
Your Rights Regarding Audio and Assessment Data
In addition to the general data rights described above, you have the following specific rights with respect to audio recordings and assessment data collected through the Reading Assessment Services:
- Request a copy of all audio recordings and assessment data associated with your account
- Request deletion of specific audio recordings or all audio and assessment data
- Turn off future contribution of eligible assessment metrics to the restricted research dataset at any time
- If you are a parent or guardian, exercise any of the above rights on behalf of a minor whose data was collected under your account
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@scholarwithin.com or use the account settings on the Site. We will respond to verified requests within 30 days.
Email Communications
We may send transactional emails reasonably necessary for an account, purchase, program, consent process, security event, or support request. We send marketing email only as permitted by law and honor applicable consent and unsubscribe requirements. You may unsubscribe from marketing email through the link in the message without affecting transactional communications. Providing an email address for an account, purchase, child-data notice, or school workflow does not authorize use of a child’s information for marketing.
Scholar Within, Inc.
238 Poet Smith Dr.
Auburn, CA 95603
Phone: 530-823-2085
Email: hello@scholarwithin.com
Rights to Object or Restrict Processing of Personal Information
If Scholar Within, Inc. has your Personal Information as a result of your relationship with one of Scholar Within, Inc.’s customers, you should first contact that customer before contacting Scholar Within, Inc. You may, however, revoke consent for an applicable source and student or account scope by emailing hello@scholarwithin.com. Revocation stops future collection and processing that depends solely on that consent within the affected scope; it does not silently revoke a separate current authorization and does not itself delete information already collected. You may make a separate deletion request, subject to information we must or are permitted to retain for billing, accounting, security, consent and revocation evidence, dispute resolution, or other legal obligations. If you discover any errors in data, you may contact us by emailing hello@scholarwithin.com and we will correct it.
Right to be Informed of Appropriate Safeguards for International Transfers
If Scholar Within, Inc. has your Personal Information as a result of your relationship with one of Scholar Within, Inc.’s customers, you should first contact that customer before contacting Scholar Within, Inc.
Scholar Within, Inc. enters into agreements with its customers regarding the safeguards that have been put in place to protect your Personal Information for transfer outside of the European Economic Area. For transfers to countries without an adequacy decision by the European Commission, Scholar Within, Inc. puts appropriate safeguards through contractual obligations.
Data Security Measures
Scholar Within, Inc. implements technical and organizational measures designed to protect Personal Information, including audio recordings and assessment data, from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or alteration. These measures include but are not limited to: encrypted data transmission (TLS/SSL), encrypted data storage, access controls limiting data access to authorized personnel and systems, regular security assessments, and secure data deletion procedures. While we strive to protect your data, no security measures are completely infallible, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
What if I have questions about this policy or want to report an abuse of this policy?
Our Data Security Agreement describes additional customer security commitments. It supplements this Policy only when incorporated into an applicable customer agreement; the executed agreement or data processing agreement controls if there is a conflict.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding our privacy policies, please send us a detailed message at hello@scholarwithin.com, and we will try to resolve your concerns.
Scholar Within, Inc.
238 Poet Smith Dr.
Auburn, CA 95603
Phone: 530-823-2085
Email: hello@scholarwithin.com
Last updated: August 3, 2026
