Parent Portal Single Sign On Implementation

Transcription

1 Parent Portal Single Sign On Implementation School districts who are not currently using Single Sign On for their PowerSchool Parent Portal will want to inform Parents and Guardians of current students that starting with the new school year ( ), the Parent Portal for their school district will be upgraded to a new version. This change is due to Pearson, the vendor of PowerSchool s announcement that effective with PowerSchool version 8.4 (Back to School) release, the Non Single Sign On version of PowerSchool Parent Portal will be removed. When your district turns on the Parent Portal at the start of the school year, the Single Sign on method of using the Parent Portal will be in place. As a part of this upgrade, there will be some improvements for those who utilize the Parent Portal to view student information like attendance, grades and classroom assignments for their students. Enhancements include: The ability for a parent/guardian to access all of their students academic records with one login. The ability for parents/guardians to maintain and manage their account preferences, preferences and link students they are the parent or guardians of to one single account. PowerSchool: Parent Single Sign On May 2015 Page 1 of 8

2 Steps for Implementing PowerSchool Parent Portal Single Sign on (SSO) 1. Activating Single Sign on Security: Prior to Enabling the Parent Portal for the school year the Single Sign on Security setting will need to be activated. This can be done by going to Start Page > System > System Settings > Security Note: This should not be enabled for the school year! Once it is enabled, it cannot be disabled. Tier 1 districts will need to enable Parent Single Sign On Security. This will be completed by the PowerSchool SCRIC Support Team for Tier 2 and Managed Data districts. The date this is completed will depend on the each districts date for enabling the Parent Portal for the new school year.. 2. System Setup to obtain Access IDs & Access Passwords: Each district may need to run the Assign ID s & Passwords utility to generate Access ID s and Access Passwords that will be used by Parents to link their students to their new Parent Portal Account. If previously generated they do not have to be generated again for all students. Each district will determine if they want to create new Access ID s and Access Passwords. The utility is located in Power School at: Start Page > Special Functions > Assign IDs & Passwords PowerSchool: Parent Single Sign On May 2015 Page 2 of 8

3 This utility can be used to assign new Access ID s and Access Passwords. There are several different options that can be selected for characteristic, length and make up of the Access ID s and Access Passwords. The SCRIC PowerSchool Team can assist districts with this utility and what options a district would use depending on their set up. Below are the options that would be used for the generation of Access ID s and Passwords: 3. Information for Parents/Guardians: Each district will need to provide the parents with the information needed to create their new account. This includes: Student Name, Access ID and Access Password for each student and a unique address. 4. Distribute letters containing student information to parents/guardians: A PowerSchool extract and letter can be developed that will include the information parents/guardians will need to create new single sign on accounts. Data from the extract can be merged into a letter that will be provided to parents/guardians. (A sample letter is attached Attachment #1). The PowerSchool Team can assist districts in preparing the data extract and parent/guardian letters. Each district should submit a PowerSchool Report Request Form with specific requirements for the development of their letter template and mail merge if they would like the PowerSchool Team to develop the extract and letter. All requests should be submitted to the PowerSchool Team at (PSHelp@btboces.org) by July 1, PowerSchool: Parent Single Sign On May 2015 Page 3 of 8

4 5. Instructions for Setting up Parent Account: Provide parents/guardians instructions on how to create new accounts, including how to access the Parent Portal. We recommend a link be made available on the school district webpage. The first time a parent/guardian accesses the Parent Portal, the screen below will display. They will click on the Create an Account button. They will be prompted to enter the following fields: First Name, Last Name, unique address and desired Username, and Password. For each child they would like to link to their new account they need to complete the bottom half of the screen. They should have a letter for each of their children that contains their Access ID and Access Password In the Relationship field, they would select their relationship to the child. (ex. Mother, Father). Once all children that will be linked their account have been entered, they would save the information and create their account by clicking on the Enter button at the bottom of the screen. (Screen print below) PowerSchool: Parent Single Sign On May 2015 Page 4 of 8

5 6. Managing Parent Accounts Trouble Logging In In the event a Parent/Guardian forgets their username or password, there is a link to assist with re setting this information. On the Sign in screen they would select the Having Trouble signing in? link. PowerSchool: Parent Single Sign On May 2015 Page 5 of 8

6 Next they would be prompted to enter their User Name and address. If they forget their user name they can click on the Forgot Username? Tab and enter their address and select Enter. They will be sent an that will contain their username. If they have forgotten their password they can click on the Forgot Password? tab and enter their Username and address. They will be sent an with the information they need to reset their Password. Changing their Password If a Parent/Guardian would like to change their password, they can do this by logging into the Parent Portal and selecting the Account Preferences option in the left hand navigation menu and follow the instructions on the screen. PowerSchool: Parent Single Sign On May 2015 Page 6 of 8

7 District Tracking Usage Each district can track usage statistics for the Parent Portal by generating the following report: Start Page > System Reports > Parental Access Statistics PowerSchool: Parent Single Sign On May 2015 Page 7 of 8

8 Attachment #1 Sample Parent Letter: September 21, 2015 To the Parent(s)/Guardian(s) of: Smith, Daniel M Access ID: PS North Street Access PW: PLSPL71 Smithtown, NY Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s): PowerSchool, our Student Information System, allows us to provide Parent(S) and Guardian(s) with access to their Students attendance, grades classroom assignments and other academic information about their children via the Parent Portal. Please note this information is not available for students in Grades XX through XX. Beginning in September, 2015 the Parent Portal has been upgraded and requires each Parent/Guardian to create a new account. Using the step-by-step directions below, you can create your new sign-on account and link all of your students to this account. 1. Go to our school district webpage at: (district inserts web address) and click on the Parent/Community Tab at the top of the page. 2. Select the PowerSchool Parent Portal Login Link provided. 3. Once on the login screen, click the Create Account option at the bottom of the page. 4. Enter the following information, your First Name, Last Name, address, new User Name and new Password. Note: User Name and Password MUST BE DIFFERENT than previous one. Password is required to be at least 6 characters in length. 5. From the top of this letter enter your Student s Name, Access ID and Access Password and select your relationship to this student in the Relationship field. 6. Add all Additional students until all students are listed with the Access ID, Access Password you re your relationship to them. 7. Once you have entered information for all students you want to view information for, Click on the Enter button at the bottom of the screen. If there are no errors, the system will take you to a login screen. You can then use your new username and password to access your new PowerSchool Parent Portal account. **If there are errors, you must correct them, re-enter password information and click enter again. Please keep your passwords confidential so that others cannot access your student's information. If you have Internet access at home or work you can view your student's information at any time. Once you set up your account you can change your username or password at any time by selecting Account Preferences option on the menu on the left, and clicking the pencil icon next to either the username or password to change it. The school cannot provide you with technical support for your home computer, internet access or . If you are having difficulty connecting to PowerSchool and your student's information, we can only assist you with resetting your username and password. PowerSchool: Parent Single Sign On May 2015 Page 8 of 8