What is Single Sign-On (SSO)?
Single Sign-On (SSO) is an authentication method that allows a user to securely sign in to multiple websites by using just one set of credentials.
A common example of this is being able to sign in to websites using your Google or Facebook account.
In K-12 Education, the common SSO providers are Classlink, Clever, or Google.
In the case of Classlink and Clever, they both offer an Application Portal where students can sign in and then have access to all the applications without having to have a specific sign in for each application that they use.
What problem does SSO help solve?
Sign-in Time
The largest problem that SSO helps solve is time.
With the rise of digital education, there are many websites or applications that students have to access and each one of those may have their own username and password. Without SSO integrations or a password manager a student is required to remember what their username and password is to sign in and this takes valuable time each day when that time could be spent on learning.
With SSO it becomes very simple to get signed in on all websites or applications that support the SSO provider. All students have to do is be signed in with their SSO provider and they are able to access all the other websites or applications without signing in again.
Classlink and Clever also have a handy badge feature for younger students to help them sign in to the SSO provider that way students don't have to even remember a username and password.
SSO helps all students be able to sign in with ease, but younger students in particular gain the most from this since there is much more time saved.
Account Creation and Class Rostering
Account creation and class rostering in the TechSmart Platform was originally built upon a process during the Class Setup step. A teacher would upload a spreadsheet of student names and ID's and then accounts would be created with a username that is unique to the student in the district. This was a username specific to TechSmart that students would have to remember as well as a password.
This process required a few steps to get the accounts created and then after that it was a problem for student to remember what their username and password was.
When a district has SSO enabled with TechSmart the process of account creation and class rostering is much more simple since student accounts are automatically created when using SSO and students can join a class by just entering a Class Join Code.
What TechSmart has changed to support SSO
SSO Integrations
TechSmart is certified to allow teachers and students to sign in with the following SSO providers:
- Classlink
- Clever
Account Creation and Class Rostering
With SSO there isn't a need for teachers to upload a roster for accounts to be created. To simplify the process, we have shifted the account creation and class rostering process for districts that have SSO set up with TechSmart so that accounts can automatically be created for students and they can join a class by entering a Class Join Code.
What can I do to set up SSO with TechSmart?
We are proactively reaching out to every district to get SSO set up!
If you would like to see SSO set up earlier please have your district IT team reach out to us at support@techsmart.codes.
When we have the SSO provider(s) properly set up in the TechSmart Platform for your district we will email all TechSmart teachers within the district to announce that SSO is now available along with further instructions and guides.