(B) Connecting SSO (ClassLink or Clever) to Rocket Math for automatic rostering

Does your district have Clever or ClassLink for rostering?

The first step is for your district to connect the student information system (SIS) to ClassLink or Clever.  Next the district has to decide to make the Library of educational apps available to teachers to try out.  Some districts do not make that available.  If the district does make the Library available then option 1 is possible.  If not only option 2 is available.

Option 1: Individual teachers can quickly roster their own class by adding Rocket Math from the ClassLink or Clever Library.

Teachers and schools can easily connect to Rocket Math through the ClassLink Library or Clever Library without setting up a district connection or involving district personnel. Simply go into the ClassLink or Clever Library and enable Rocket Math, which will start an initial, 30-day complimentary subscription.  If desired, that initial subscription can be renewed into a paid subscription, with no loss of student progress.  We recommend that all the teachers be merged into one school-level account for purposes of getting lower per seat prices.

Option 2: A district level connection between ClassLink or Clever and Rocket Math requires communication among district IT, the teaching staff and us.

Below is the sequence, as we understand it, of connecting a school or district through ClassLink or Clever to Rocket Math.  You may have already started this sequence.  Often, the IT department on the one side and the curriculum folks, teachers and administrators on the other side haven’t communicated the relevant decisions to each other.  These decisions have to be made and communicated to all parties in order to move ahead. It is our hope that this post will clarify what has to be decided.

ClassLink and Clever expect the app (us in Rocket Math) to have a salesperson who has negotiated the correct sharing permissions with the district personnel.  Rocket Math leaves that entirely up to you to decide which students get Rocket Math.  We won’t “Request Sharing” because we don’t know what schools or grade levels or sections you have decided to have access to Rocket Math. (The IT person doesn’t know either, unless the decision-maker lets them know!)  Once the IT department has those sharing permissions set correctly, rostering can begin the same day.

NOTE:  We have no minimum for ClassLink connections, but Rocket Math has a 200-student seat minimum for making a district-level connection within Clever. Less than 200 student seats and there is no need for district rostering. Teachers should use Option 1–the Clever Library to roster their class.  

Step 1: District IT department invites Rocket Math into ClassLink or Clever connection.

The IT department at the district controls what apps are made available through ClassLink or Clever.  The IT dept can request to open a connection to Rocket Math.  The district IT person (usually someone specifically tasked with ClassLink or Clever integration) has to enable the connection.

Step 2: Set up “sharing permissions” in ClassLink or Clever for the students who will use Rocket Math.

From the ClassLink or Clever end your IT department controls what’s called “sharing permissions.”  Those permissions decide which students in which grades and in which schools will get access to Rocket Math.  The way those permissions are configured determines the number of students who will be “shared” with Rocket Math.  That will be the number of seats you need.  If it is more than you want, you can re-adjust those sharing permissions to exclude students to whom you don’t want to give Rocket Math.  This is the key thing that needs to be set up by the district IT department in consultation with the school or schools that want Rocket Math.

Step 3: Decide (and tell Rocket Math) who will “own” the destination account in Rocket Math

ClassLink or Clever will only roster into one district-wide account. I’m calling it the “destination account.”  By default, the destination account will be set up under the name of the IT person listed in the district’s ClassLink or Clever account.  Only the destination account will have the “Request ClassLink or Clever Data Rostering” button shown below in their account.  (We will have to paste the ClassLink or Clever District ID number into the destination account.  You don’t see the “Request ClassLink or Clever Data Rostering” button until the ClassLink or Clever District ID number is associated with the destination account.) 

The owner should be the point person with Rocket Math, who knows the plans and what all you are doing.  The owner controls the account and can pay for and renew the account, add schools and school managers and teacher managers.  They can add co-owners to the destination account, so others can view and/or renew.  We can add co-owners, school manager and teacher managers as well, upon request. The destination account is where ClassLink or Clever will roster all the students.  If you want the students to be rostered into an account under someone other than the IT person, you have to let Rocket Math know ahead of rostering, so we can change the destination.

Step 4: The owner of the destination account must set up enough student seats to accommodate the number of students being shared.

In your Rocket Math account, you can set up the number of seats you need, for free, during your initial, complimentary 30-day subscription.  For now, that’s all that needs to be done.  Later you can renew for the year-long subscription.

Step 5: The owner of the destination account should arrange for a quote to purchase a subscription for the right number of seats.

You can get the quote information sent to whomever needs it, from within your account. Or you can contact Angela@rocketmath.com to get an official quote.  You’ll need to purchase at least the number of seats to accommodate the students that will be rostered by ClassLink or Clever.    Combining schools into one account will save you money on the per seat price.  For example, with the price break, buying 1000 seats is less expensive than buying 667 seats. 

Step 6. ClassLink rostering happens automatically.  For Clever use the “Request Clever Data Rostering” button (or ask assistance@rocketmath.com to do it for you).

Clever rostering does not happen automatically!  Once the IT department has those sharing permissions set correctly, the owner should start the rostering process from within the destination account. (See the button illustrated here.)  Or you can ask assistance@rocketmath.com and we can make it happen.