Checkr Education Verification Process: A Comprehensive Guide

An education verification is a background check that confirms a job candidate's education history. This process is crucial for employers to verify the accuracy of the information provided by candidates, ensuring they possess the necessary qualifications for a role. This article delves into the education verification process, its importance, how it's conducted, and the legal regulations surrounding it.

What is Education Verification?

Education verification involves confirming the information provided by candidates regarding their educational background. This includes verifying schools attended, degrees or diplomas earned, and certifications obtained. This screening, also known as an education verification check, degree verification, or education background check, involves searching student records and contacting high schools, vocational schools, colleges, and universities to corroborate a job candidate’s educational history with the information provided in a job application or on a resume. Employers may also conduct an international education verification if a candidate has attended schools outside the United States. It allows employers to compare the information that candidates declare during the hiring process to education history records kept by schools and other organizations.

Why Conduct Education Verification Checks?

Employers conduct education verification checks for several reasons:

Improving Pre-Screening for Employment: Education verification reveals important information during pre-employment screening. By comparing the information a candidate provides to academic records from high schools, colleges, and other institutions, employers can be confident they meet the education and training requirements for the open position. The information revealed in an education verification check can empower your decision to extend a job offer to a candidate or make you aware of discrepancies that could be disqualifying for employment.
Reducing Liability: Verifying a candidate’s education history may protect your company from the liability risks that hiring a candidate who doesn’t possess the required degrees or training could pose. In fact, nearly nearly half of job candidates (44%) have lied about education credentials on their resume, a ResumeBuilder survey found.
Complying with Laws and Regulations: Federal, state, and local laws may mandate that you check education history for certain regulated positions, such as those in healthcare or finance, just as they may require a criminal background check for specific jobs.

How Employers Verify Education

To verify education, employers ask candidates to provide school names, dates of attendance, degrees earned, and other school registration information. Employers can conduct an education background check themselves or use a background check company that offers education verification checks, like Checkr, to do so.

In-House Verification

Employers who conduct education background checks in-house can use the National Student Clearinghouse, a national online portal that verifies education histories. To access the Clearinghouse, you must register for the service and demonstrate a valid reason for requesting the candidate’s information.

The National Student Clearinghouse connects employers with information for many schools, but in some cases, it may not have a student record on file. For example, a particular college may not appear in the database. When this occurs, employers must typically contact each school the candidate attended to confirm attendance dates, student enrollment, graduation date, and degrees earned. In some cases, employers may also request that candidates provide official transcripts from schools they attended.

Third-Party Verification Services

Conducting an education verification can be time-consuming, but a background check company, like Checkr, can help accelerate the process. These platforms and advanced technology makes education verifications more cost-effective, timely, and accurate. In addition to streamlining the verification process, CRAs are also experienced in authenticating schools listed on a resume. They can help spot online diploma mills that sell diplomas, credentials, or degrees from fictitious schools. These mills often use school names similar to those of prestigious institutions, such as “University of Berkley” instead of “University of California, Berkeley,” to create confusion.

What Education Background Checks Reveal

An education background check shows information about a candidate’s education history, such as dates of attendance, majors, graduation date, and degrees or certificates earned. In the case of candidates who are graduates, the verification will usually focus on the most recent school attended.

For candidates currently in school, an education verification will usually confirm an active student registration status and may also provide the date of enrollment. This type of education verification is sometimes referred to as an enrollment verification.

It's important to note that education background checks are different from professional license verification. License verification confirms a job candidate has a license or certification to work in a particular, often regulated, occupation, such as healthcare.

Scope and Limitations of Education Background Checks

How Far Back Do They Go?

How far back education background checks go depends on the scope of the search, as defined by the employer. Employers often only complete an education verification on the highest degree, certificate, or diploma earned. Depending on the candidate’s history, this might be a high school diploma, a GED, or a college certificate or degree. Less often, an education background check may provide an overview of a candidate’s entire education history.

The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) restricts how far back many types of background screenings-such as criminal records checks-can go. However, there are no such restrictions on education verification screenings.

Turnaround Time

The time it takes to perform an education history verification depends on the availability of records; National Student Clearinghouse records vary from school to school. When the information requested is already in the system, education verifications typically take only a few minutes.

The process will take longer if you request information not included in the record. When this occurs, the Clearinghouse will contact a participating school directly to obtain information. A record may not be available because it is too old or because the student only started attending the school recently, in the case of a current enrollment verification. The volume of pending requests and how promptly the school replies to requests will impact the turnaround time. Delays may also occur if you provide incomplete or incorrect information when making a request.

Using a background check company, like Checkr, can help reduce wait times associated with these types of errors by ensuring you’ve gathered all the necessary information from the candidate. These platforms' advanced technology helps accelerate the background check process, while their mobile-friendly candidate portal gives job applicants visibility into the education verification process. They can even upload documents to confirm diplomas or certifications.

Read also: Becoming a Neonatal Nurse

Legal and Regulatory Considerations

Legal regulations in the education verification process may impact what information you can access, how you can access it, and the extent to which you can use information gathered through an education background check to make a hiring decision.

Federal, state, and local privacy and background check laws, including the FCRA, regulate employment background screenings, including education verifications. These laws dictate how employers or consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) can conduct background checks, what information the background check report can include, and how employers can use the results of a background check when making hiring decisions. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has also created guidance to help employers avoid discrimination when assessing background check results.

Your legal counsel can help you determine what other laws and regulations may apply to your organization when you conduct education verification checks.

Common Questions About Education Verification

Do Employers Verify Education Degrees?

Yes, some employers may choose to verify education degrees. Degree verification is a standard part of an education background check. Specifically, the types of degrees earned, and the dates earned commonly appear on an education credential verification report.

Verifying degrees earned helps employers ensure that candidates are eligible for a position, while also helps companies protect against potential liability from hiring someone without the proper qualifications for a job.

How Can Employers Check International Education Backgrounds?

The way employers check international education backgrounds varies, based on the information that is accessible through databases and what laws restrict access to information. If you’re hiring internationally, you’ll typically need to research the process in the country where the candidate lives. However, an education verification services company, like Checkr, can greatly simplify the international education background check process.

Is GPA Included in an Education Verification Background Check?

A GPA is generally not included in an education verification background check. If knowing a student’s GPA is necessary to make a hiring decision, you can ask the candidate to share their official transcripts from the schools in question.

Education Verification for Tutors

Background checks are also relevant in the context of hiring tutors. For families, trust and safety are paramount. A thorough tutor background check can help families feel more confident about who they’re bringing into their child’s life. It can also give tutors an opportunity to display their reliability and professionalism.

Why Tutor Background Checks Matter

For Families: Running a background check can identify whether a candidate has a history of felony or misdemeanor convictions, appears on sex offender registries, or is listed on government watchlists like the FBI’s Most Wanted List. A private tutor background check can help identify potential safety risks and empowers families to make more informed hiring decisions.
For Tutors: Completing a background check when requested may help you build trust with your potential clients. It's also often required as part of the hiring process.

The Tutor Background Check Process

The process for conducting a tutor background check depends on whether you’re hiring a tutor or seeking a tutoring position.

For Families Hiring a Tutor:

Select a Background Check Provider: Working with a background check provider, like Checkr, often makes the screening process easier and more reliable. Look for a consumer reporting agency (CRA) that’s compliant with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), with experience in childcare and education background checks.
Determine What Screenings to Include:
- Social Security number (SSN) trace: Lists names and addresses associated with a tutor’s Social Security number from financial, utility, and education databases.
- Sex offender registry check: Searches national, state, territorial, or tribal sex offender registries.
- Global watchlist search: Checks international and domestic watchlists, including the FBI.
- Federal criminal search: Shows felony and misdemeanor records in US District courts.
- National criminal search: Searches hundreds of databases for convictions, pending cases, and other contact with law enforcement.
- State criminal search: Gathers criminal history from state-level databases.
- County criminal search: Pulls records from county court systems for local offenses.
Obtain the Candidate’s Permission: The FCRA requires employers to disclose their intent to perform a background check to the candidate in writing before conducting any screenings.
Review Reports and Follow Adverse Action Procedures, if Necessary: If anything in the report might disqualify the candidate from your tutoring position, the FCRA requires you to follow the adverse action process.

For Tutors Seeking a Tutoring Position:

Research What Information Employers May Want to Review: Before applying, read job descriptions carefully to understand what kind of background screening is required.
Gather Necessary Documents Ahead of Time:
- Your Social Security number
- Full name and any previous names (maiden names, aliases)
- Social Security card
- Driver’s license or state-issued photo ID
- Name of highest degree and graduation date
- W-2, 1099, Schedule C, or pay stub for employment verification
- Passport number
Run a Background Check on Yourself: Running a background check on yourself gives you a preview of your records and allows you to correct any errors in advance with the background check provider who conducted the report.
Dispute Inaccurate Information Promptly: The FCRA gives you the right to dispute any inaccurate information that appears on a background check report.

Education Verification in Teacher Background Checks

A teacher background check provides information about a school job candidate or employee’s eligibility and qualifications for a role. Depending on the scope of the screening, this may include a search of public records, databases, and other information sources to learn about a candidate’s criminal history, education, employment history, professional licenses, driving record, and more.

Screenings Included in Teacher Background Checks

Criminal background checks: Including a sex offender registry check, to determine whether a candidate has any convictions that would disqualify them from working in a school.
Education verification: To review a candidate’s academic background, including the schools they attended, attendance dates, and degrees earned.
Employment verification: To confirm previous positions and the dates they were held.
Drug testing: To determine prior and current use of certain drugs and controlled substances.
Professional license checks: To verify whether a candidate meets state and district educator certification and licensing requirements.
Driving record (MVR) checks: To obtain information about a candidate’s driving history, license status, and safety record on the road.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance for Teacher Background Checks

Teacher background checks must comply with applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations.

Federal Laws: No federal laws require school systems to run background checks on teachers, but all 50 states have laws that do. Employers that work with a consumer reporting agency (CRA) to facilitate the background check process must adhere to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The FCRA requires employers to provide candidates with written notice of their intention to conduct a background check, get written consent from the candidate before ordering the report, and provide the candidate with a summary of their rights. If you decide not to make a candidate a job offer due to information included in a background check, you should follow the adverse action process.
State Laws: State laws vary significantly. For example:
- California requires fingerprint-based criminal background checks of public and private school teachers and other school employees who interact with children.
- Florida requires employees of traditional, charter, and nonpublic schools to undergo fingerprinting and consent to a background check as part of their employment screening.
- Georgia requires everyone hired by the Georgia Department of Education to undergo a criminal background check and drug testing.
- Illinois law requires candidates to undergo a fingerprint-based background check in the school district where they will be working.
- Ohio requires candidates to undergo a state criminal background check and FBI background check upon hiring and every five years thereafter.
- Texas requires fingerprint-based background checks for substitute teachers, full-time teachers, educational aides, and other school employees and contractors who have direct contact with students.
Ban the Box Laws: Ban the Box laws are in force in many states and local jurisdictions throughout the country. These laws affect the type of information an employer can ask about a candidate's criminal history, when they can ask, and when they can conduct a background check during the application process.

What Teacher Background Checks Show

The information a background check shows varies based on the screenings you conduct. States generally require employers to check the criminal records of teachers, which may show misdemeanor and felony convictions, arrests, and incarceration history. Criminal history searches may include a state or FBI fingerprint check, a review of local and state court records, and a search of state abuse and neglect registries.

The state board of education in many states also requires teachers to have an educator certification before they begin working in the classroom. Employers often need to verify the status of candidate certifications, which may include a search of the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) Clearinghouse. The NASDTEC Clearinghouse is a database that includes state-reported information about teachers who lose their licenses because of abuse or sexual misconduct.

Schools may verify the colleges or universities a candidate attended, enrollment dates, graduation dates, degrees earned, and professional development opportunities the candidate has participated in. Employers may also check professional references and speak with former employers to confirm previous positions and employment dates. A teacher background check may also include drug testing for current and prior substance use, depending on local and state regulations.

Turnaround Time for Teacher Background Checks

The average turnaround time for completing a background check is three to five business days, but it can take longer, depending on the records you search and whether you conduct the check directly or work with a third-party professional background check vendor, also sometimes referred to as a consumer reporting agency (CRA). Working with a CRA, like Checkr, to search public records, check references, and verify a candidate's education, employment, and professional licenses can help speed up turnaround times without sacrificing safety.

Conducting Teacher Background Checks: In-House vs. Third-Party

There are two primary ways to get a background check for teachers:

Handling Background Checks Directly: This is labor intensive. You’ll likely need to manually order and track each candidate's background check from government agencies, courthouses, and other public records and databases, and manage all candidate communication along the way. Employers that conduct background checks internally may need to contact every educational institution, previous employer, and professional reference separately to confirm each piece of information a candidate provides.
Working with a CRA: A CRA like Checkr can give you access to streamlined workflows that help simplify and expedite the background check process from start to finish. Easy-to-use ordering processes, automated notifications, and adjudication and compliance tools can reduce turnaround times-and your organization's level of risk. Plus, a background check partner like Checkr's support team can help field candidate questions, minimizing the workload put on your human resources team.

Key Considerations When Choosing a Verification Service

Industry Experience and Reputation: Opt for a provider with solid experience and a good reputation in the background verification industry.
Data Protection and Privacy: Confirm that the provider uses strong security measures to protect sensitive data.
International Verification Capabilities: If you’re hiring candidates with international education, select a provider experienced in global verification processes.
Clear Reporting and Communication: Effective communication and transparent reporting are crucial for seamless information flow.
Transparent Pricing: Understand the pricing structure and what’s included in the service to avoid unexpected costs.
Customer Support: Look for a provider with reliable customer service to assist with any issues or questions promptly.
Quick Turnaround Times: Evaluate the provider’s processing speed to minimize delays in the hiring process.

Additionally, ensure that the service provider can support compliance with the Adverse Action Process and the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs.

Conclusion

Education verification is a critical component of the hiring process. It ensures that employers make informed decisions based on accurate information, mitigating potential risks and ensuring compliance with legal regulations. Whether conducted in-house or through a third-party service like Checkr, education verification provides the peace of mind that hired candidates possess the academic credentials necessary to succeed. Implementing effective verification processes can also help reduce hiring bias in your organization.

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