Small District, Big Impact: How ClassLink’s IAM Solution Saved Valuable Classroom and IT Time

Hoisington USD 431, a small school district serving approximately 700 students, faced significant challenges in managing digital resources. The district grappled with maintaining seamless access to applications for students and teachers while relying on time-consuming, manual processes for account management. These inefficiencies created obstacles for both classroom productivity and IT operations, highlighting a critical need for a better solution.

Before adopting ClassLink, teachers in Hoisington USD 431 struggled to manage login credentials for their students, losing valuable class time to resolve forgotten usernames and passwords. Technology Coordinator Kerry Mooney recalls that teachers “wanted something that would free them from having to help kids remember their usernames and passwords for various applications.” Unfortunately, the existing system lacked the capability to address this need effectively.

The district’s small IT team also faced difficulties in rostering data into multiple platforms. The manual processes were slow, error-prone, and required constant attention, compounding inefficiencies and stretching already limited resources.

ClassLink’s Identity and Access Management solution addressed these challenges head-on. LaunchPad, ClassLink’s single sign-on platform, eliminated the need for teachers to track student credentials. Mooney highlights its impact, explaining, “After students sign in the very first time, it saves that log-in information securely. For each subsequent LaunchPad login, students simply click on a link, and it logs them right into their application.” This improvement restored instructional time, ensuring classroom activities could proceed without tech-related interruptions.

To tackle data management inefficiencies, Hoisington USD 431 implemented ClassLink’s Roster Server. This tool automated rostering, seamlessly integrating data from the school’s information system into various applications. Mooney explains, “Roster Server takes users from our school’s information system and rosters them into our applications,” removing the need for manual rostering and alleviating the IT burden.

The district also introduced OneSync to streamline the account creation process. Mooney describes the automation, saying, “Once we create the user in PowerSchool, OneSync’s going to create that Google account, which then will push out to the Roster. It’s the provisioning tool that allows our users to be created with less human error and quicker setup.” This hands-free process ensured accuracy and efficiency in managing accounts.

By integrating ClassLink’s solutions, Hoisington USD 431 transformed its digital operations, freeing staff from repetitive tasks and providing students and teachers with a seamless, reliable digital learning experience. Mooney emphasizes the impact, stating, “Teachers report it saves them at least 10 minutes of signing in. That’s a lot of time when every minute counts in the classroom.”