Privacy Policy

Reminiscent Road Media LLC d/b/a The Scholar's Ascent ("we," "us," or "The Scholar's Ascent") operates the website thescholarsascent.org and its associated educational platform. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, and share information when you use our services, including our Lexicon vocabulary tool, video content library, digital workbooks, student dashboard, parent/educator portal, and related features.

By accessing or using our platform, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our services.

0. Who We Are (Operator)

The Scholar's Ascent is operated by Reminiscent Road Media LLC, a Texas limited liability company ("RRM"), doing business as The Scholar's Ascent. RRM is the "operator," "school official," and data controller for purposes of FERPA, COPPA, and Texas Education Code Chapter 32. We are in the process of transitioning operator responsibility to Ascendant Road Holdings LLC (a Texas Series Limited Liability Company, SOS Doc #1576262380002, filed April 11, 2026), acting through its Protected Series A ("The Scholar's Ascent"). Parents and students will be notified when this transition is complete; data handling practices, retention, and rights will remain materially unchanged.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information in several ways depending on how you interact with our platform.

a. Account Information

• Full name and email address
• Password (stored in hashed form; we never store plaintext passwords)
• Profile photo (when signing in via Google authentication)
• User role: student, parent, or educator

b. Payment Information

• Payment transactions are processed securely through Stripe. We do not store credit card numbers, CVVs, or full payment card details on our servers.
• We may retain transaction records such as purchase history, subscription status, and billing email for account management purposes.

c. Usage and Progress Data

• Quiz scores, vocabulary progress, and Lexicon activity (including flashcard usage)
• Video watch history and episode completion status
• Learning streaks, badges earned, and gamification milestones
• Dashboard activity and workbook/planner interactions

d. Portfolio Uploads

• Documents, images, and videos uploaded by users as part of their academic portfolio

e. Referral Data

• Referral codes and information about who referred whom, used for our referral rewards program

f. Communications

• Messages exchanged between users and our administrative team through the platform

g. Lead Capture and Contact Forms

• Email addresses submitted through our newsletter sign-up and free study guide download
• Name, email, subject, and message content submitted through our contact form

h. Automatically Collected Information

• Browser type, device information, and operating system
• IP address and approximate geographic location
• Pages visited, referral URLs, and time spent on the platform
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 7)

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Providing and improving our services — delivering personalized educational content, tracking academic progress, powering the Lexicon tool, and enabling dashboard features
• Account management — creating and maintaining user accounts, authenticating logins, and managing subscriptions
• Communication — sending transactional emails (account confirmation, password resets, purchase receipts), responding to support inquiries, and delivering platform notifications
• Gamification and engagement — calculating streaks, awarding badges, and maintaining leaderboards to motivate learning
• Parent/Educator portal — enabling parents and educators to monitor student progress, manage linked accounts, and receive progress reports
• Referral program — tracking and rewarding successful referrals
• Marketing — sending newsletters and educational resources to users who have opted in (you may unsubscribe at any time)
• Analytics and improvement — understanding how users interact with our platform so we can improve the experience
• Safety and compliance — detecting and preventing fraud, enforcing our terms of service, and complying with legal obligations

2b. Automated Systems & AI-Assisted Technology

Automated Decision-Making & Personalization

The Platform uses automated systems to enhance your learning experience. These include:

• Assessment scoring — Your responses to our self-discovery assessments (Scholar Strengths Spectrum, Compass Profile, Team Dynamic, Career Navigator) are scored by deterministic algorithms, not AI. Scores are calculated using fixed formulas based on established psychological frameworks.
• Streak and engagement tracking — The Platform automatically calculates login streaks, awards badges, and sends engagement notifications based on your activity patterns.
• Leaderboard rankings — Hall of Fame rankings are calculated automatically from your activity data (lessons completed, badges earned, streak length).
• Stage promotion eligibility — The system automatically determines when you meet advancement thresholds based on lesson completion and grade level.

No automated system on this Platform makes consequential decisions about your account status, subscription, or access without human oversight. Account suspensions, promotion request reviews, and complaint resolutions are handled by administrators.

AI-Assisted Content Development

Certain content on this Platform — including lesson text, blog articles, workbook materials, and email templates — was developed with the assistance of AI language model tools during the content creation process. All AI-assisted content has been reviewed, edited, and approved by the TSA editorial team before publication. AI tools are not used to generate real-time responses to users, grade student work, or make personalized academic recommendations.

Children’s Data & Automated Systems

For users under 13, no automated profiling or algorithmic decision-making is performed beyond basic streak counting and badge awarding. Engagement emails for minors are sent to the parent/guardian email on file, not directly to the child. Parents may opt out of all automated communications via the Dashboard settings.

2c. Assessment Integrity Monitoring

To preserve the academic integrity of locked assessments and to meet our obligations to families, schools, and districts, The Scholar's Ascent uses limited, educationally necessary integrity-monitoring features during active assessments only. These features mirror the lockdown-mode capabilities of common classroom platforms (such as Google Forms lockdown mode). They are not used for behavioral profiling, advertising, or passive monitoring outside of an active assessment window.

• Tab switch and fullscreen monitoring — During a locked assessment, we detect when the student navigates away from the assessment tab or exits fullscreen. Events are logged so the student's teacher can review them.
• Keystroke timing and paste detection — On written-response questions, we record aggregate typing cadence and whether content was pasted into the response field. This helps teachers identify responses that may have been copied from external sources or AI tools.
• Teacher-reviewed only — Integrity-monitoring events are visible only to the student's assigned teacher and authorized administrators. They are never sold, shared with advertisers, or used to build commercial profiles.
• Assessment scope only — Monitoring begins when a locked assessment starts and ends when the student submits or exits. No monitoring occurs during lessons, open practice, or general platform browsing.
• Retention — Integrity logs are retained alongside the associated assessment record and are deleted on the same schedule as other student assessment data (see Data Retention).

For users under 13, integrity-monitoring features that apply are disclosed to the parent/guardian at account creation. Parents may review the associated logs at any time by contacting us.

3. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:

a. Third-Party Service Providers

We work with trusted third-party services that help us operate our platform. These providers only access data necessary to perform their functions and are contractually obligated to protect it:

• Firebase (Google) — authentication, real-time database, cloud storage, and hosting
• Stripe — secure payment processing for subscriptions and purchases
• Resend — transactional email delivery (account confirmations, receipts, notifications)
• Google Analytics — anonymized website usage analytics (if applicable)
• Cloudflare — DNS management, content delivery, and security protection

b. Parent/Educator Access

Parents and educators linked to a student account may view that student's progress data, quiz scores, badges, and activity within the parent/educator portal. This access is designed to support the student's academic growth.

c. Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required to do so by law, in response to valid legal processes (such as a subpoena or court order), or to protect the rights, property, or safety of The Scholar's Ascent, our users, or the public.

d. Business Transfers and Affiliated Entities

In the event of a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or internal reorganization, user data may be transferred as part of that transaction. In particular, operator responsibility for The Scholar's Ascent is being transitioned from Reminiscent Road Media LLC to Ascendant Road Holdings LLC (acting through its Protected Series A). Your data protections under this Privacy Policy will not be diminished by any such transfer, and we will notify affected users in advance.

4. Data Storage and Security

We take the security of your data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect it.

• Encryption — All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using TLS/SSL (HTTPS). Passwords are stored using industry-standard hashing algorithms.
• Cloud infrastructure — Our data is stored on Google Firebase servers, which maintain SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3 certifications and comply with ISO 27001 standards.
• Access controls — Administrative access to user data is restricted to authorized personnel only, using role-based permissions and multi-factor authentication.
• Cloudflare protection — Our domain is protected by Cloudflare, which provides DDoS mitigation, Web Application Firewall (WAF), and bot management.
• Payment security — All payment data is handled directly by Stripe, a PCI-DSS Level 1 certified payment processor. Card details never touch our servers.

While we strive to protect your information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password for your account and to keep your login credentials confidential.

5. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

a. Parental Consent Required

We require verifiable parental or guardian consent before collecting any personal information from a child under 13. Parent or guardian accounts must be created first, and the parent/guardian manages the child's account and profile.

b. Minimal Data Collection for Children

For users under 13, we collect only the minimum information necessary to provide our educational services:

• A display name or first name (chosen by the parent)
• Progress data related to lessons, quizzes, badges, and streaks
• Portfolio uploads submitted through the parent-managed account

We do not collect email addresses, full names, or other personally identifiable information directly from children under 13. The parent's email address is used for all account communications.

c. No Behavioral Advertising to Children

We do not serve targeted or behavioral advertising to users identified as children under 13. We do not share children's data with third parties for marketing purposes.

d. Parental Rights

Parents and guardians have the right to:

• Review the personal information collected from their child
• Request the deletion of their child's personal information
• Refuse to allow further collection or use of their child's information
• Manage and update their child's account settings at any time through the parent portal

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@thescholarsascent.org.

e. Safety Measures

Child accounts do not have access to messaging features, public forums, or any social interaction tools. All communications are routed through the parent/guardian account. Portfolio uploads for children under 13 are only visible to the child, their linked parent/guardian, and platform administrators.

6. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal data:

a. Access and Portability

You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. We will provide this data in a commonly used, machine-readable format upon request.

b. Correction

You may update or correct your personal information at any time through your account settings or by contacting us.

c. Deletion

You may request deletion of your account and associated personal data. Upon receiving a verified deletion request, we will remove your data within 30 days, except for information we are required to retain for legal, regulatory, or legitimate business purposes (such as transaction records).

d. Marketing Opt-Out

You may unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link included in every marketing email or by contacting us directly. Transactional emails (such as purchase confirmations and security alerts) are not affected by marketing opt-out.

e. Cookie Preferences

You may manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. See Section 7 for more details.

To exercise any of these rights, please email us at info@thescholarsascent.org. We will respond to verified requests within 30 days.

7. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your experience on our platform.

a. Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential cookies — Required for the platform to function properly, including authentication tokens and session management. These cannot be disabled.
• Functionality cookies — Remember your preferences, such as language settings and display options, to personalize your experience.
• Analytics cookies — Help us understand how visitors use our website so we can improve content and navigation. We use Google Analytics, which collects anonymized, aggregated data.

b. Third-Party Cookies

Some third-party services (such as Google Analytics and Stripe) may set their own cookies when you use our platform. These cookies are governed by the respective third party's privacy policy.

c. Managing Cookies

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can block or delete cookies, though doing so may affect the functionality of certain features on our platform. For more information on managing cookies, visit your browser's help documentation.

d. Do Not Track

Our platform does not currently respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals, as there is no universally accepted standard for how to respond to such signals. We will update this policy if a standard is established.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law.

• Active accounts — Data is retained for the duration of your active account and for a reasonable period thereafter to allow for account reactivation.
• Deleted accounts — Upon account deletion, personal data is removed within 30 days. Certain data (such as transaction records and anonymized usage analytics) may be retained for up to 3 years for legal and accounting purposes.
• Lead capture data — Email addresses collected through our newsletter or free study guide offer are retained until you unsubscribe, at which point they are removed within 30 days.
• Contact form submissions — Messages submitted through our contact form are retained for up to 1 year to allow for follow-up and quality assurance.
• Children's data — Data associated with children under 13 is retained only as long as the parent-managed account remains active. Parents may request deletion at any time.

8b. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to conflicts-of-law principles. The exclusive jurisdiction and venue for any dispute arising out of or relating to this Privacy Policy or our data-handling practices shall be the state and federal courts located in Harris County, Texas. The parties waive trial by jury to the extent permitted by law. The prevailing party in any such action shall be entitled to recover reasonable attorneys' fees and costs.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
• Post a prominent notice on our website
• Send an email notification to registered users for significant changes

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information. Your continued use of the platform after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:

• Reminiscent Road Media LLC d/b/a The Scholar's Ascent
• Mailing Address: 12828 Willow Centre Dr, Ste D49, Houston, TX 77066
• Email: info@thescholarsascent.org
• Website: thescholarsascent.org

We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 business days.