California DOE Says Test-Based Color-Coded IDs Violate Student Privacy

The Orange County Register (10/6, Martindale) reports that California education officials have ruled that Kennedy High School in Orange County violated the privacy of its students by issuing student ids that were color-coded based on their scores on standardized tests. Colors indicating high achievement "give students a range of special campus privileges and discounts" for which other students do not qualify, and must stand in longer lunch lines. "Kennedy parents and students say the cards and planners unnecessarily embarrass and single out students who did not perform as well as their peers on state standardized testing, while the California Department of Education characterizes the practice as 'inappropriate' and a violation of state law."