Terms of Service

The service

Pencils Ready is an exam-session monitoring tool. During the device check or a live assessment it reports: the hostname of the active tab (for example savvasrealize.com), or of a tab shown beside it in Chrome's split view, plus the page path only while that tab is off the teacher's allow list (for example /browse/library), never a query string, fragment, search terms, or page content; whether Chrome is in front, whether the test page itself has the keyboard focus inside Chrome (the address bar, a Google Lens overlay, a dialog, another extension, or an assistant such as Siri can take it without Chrome leaving the front), whether a Chrome side panel or split view is open beside the test page, and whether the device is idle or locked; a heartbeat about every 15 seconds, so a device can be shown as offline; that a copy, cut, paste, or drag/drop happened on a browser page, with its type, time, and the page hostname, never what was copied; a device-readiness inventory, sent at join and refreshed with each heartbeat: extension version and health, how the extension was installed, whether Chrome policy lets it be turned off, whether it may run in Incognito or on local files, and counts of displays, Chrome windows, tabs, split views, and audible background tabs, and, once the device check starts, how many other Chrome windows are not on an allowed page and how much narrower the page is than its Chrome window, never window or tab titles, and never which site; whether the student's status page was closed or reloaded, an advisory "confirming" hint shown to the teacher during a live session, cleared by the next heartbeat, and never kept as an event or included in reports. The newest 250 actions awaiting review per participant/session are itemized, reviewed records are retained, and older or delayed actions remain visible as a counted summary. It never captures clipboard or dropped content, keystrokes, field values, or the original source of pasted material. It does not block sites or make an automatic determination of cheating. Begin remains locked until every student reports fresh, working monitoring; teachers remain responsible for reviewing context and every academic decision. Pencils Ready reports what happened during a session. It does not prevent a student from stopping monitoring on a device they control; if they do, the interruption is recorded and shown to the teacher.

Who may use it

Pencils Ready is a school service. A school, or a teacher acting with the school's authority, must authorize the deployment and hold the school, district, and family permissions that apply. Students use it under the school's direction; we do not offer individual accounts to students outside a school.

Where a school uses Pencils Ready with students under 13, the school consents on behalf of parents for the school-authorized educational purpose, as the Federal Trade Commission's COPPA guidance permits. We use student information only to provide this service to that school, never for advertising, profiling, resale, or training models, and a parent may review or request deletion of their student's records through the school.

Teachers must offer any alternative required by school policy, law, or a student's educational plan.

Acceptable use

Use Pencils Ready only for legitimate, disclosed educational exam monitoring. Do not use it for secret or continuous surveillance, harassment, unlawful discrimination, account sharing, attempts to bypass security, or monitoring outside a teacher-started session.

Pencils Ready is not designed or authorized for all-day monitoring, employee surveillance, or covert use.

Privacy and retention

The Privacy Policy explains what is collected, what is never collected, who can see it, and the retention schedule. Session records become eligible for deletion 90 days after the session ends and are then removed by the weekly purge. By using the service, you agree to that data handling.

Availability and accounts

Keep account and session access secure and report suspected misuse promptly. The service may change or be unavailable, including because of third-party hosting, authentication, network, or browser services. Do not rely on Pencils Ready as the sole record for a high-stakes decision.

Disclaimer and responsibility

Pencils Ready is provided as-is for an early classroom pilot, without a promise of uninterrupted operation. To the extent allowed by law, Pencils Ready is not responsible for indirect or consequential losses. Nothing in these terms limits rights that cannot legally be limited.