Student Single Sign On (SSO) Best Practices

What is student single sign on (SSO)? Single sign on is a user authentication method that enables a student to have a single user name and password in order to access multiple applications.

Examples of K-12 SSO systems are Google Classroom, Clever, and Microsoft Classroom.

The student logs into the SSO system. When apps are integrated with an SSO system, the student has a one-click process to log in to the app.

Why you should use SSO

• Students do not need to remember multiple app-specific user names and passwords. Classroom time is therefore more efficient.
• The student has a single identity within an app: if a student is using an app in multiple classes with different teachers, all student work and assignments will be collected in a single account.
• When SSO is adopted at the school or district level, students can have a single user name for their entire K-12 career. School or district administrators can view data for a given student across multiple disciplines and classes, deriving a record of each student’s progress in all subjects and even across all grades.

Exploros and SSO Google Classroom: Exploros currently supports SSO via Google Classroom. If your school is a Google Classroom school, use the Import from Google Classroom method of connecting your students.

Other SSO system: If your school uses a different SSO system, we recommend that the school Student Information System (SIS) coordinator sets up the Exploros student accounts using the usernames and passwords from that system.

1. SIS coordinator imports all students via the Import CSV method.
2. Teachers do a one-time connection process: students log into Exploros and enter the private teacher code.

No school/district SSO policy: If your school does not have a SSO system and has no policy on student accounts, we recommend:

1. If your students have school gmail accounts:Your students should use their gmail accounts to sign into Exploros via the “Log in with Google” button.
2. Otherwise: You should consult with your school Student Information System (SIS) coordinator before importing your class. The lack of a SSO policy can lead to multiple digital identities for students across apps, classes, and grades.