North Dakota Department of Public Instruction
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ClassLink

North Dakota Announces State-Wide Partnership With ClassLink

North Dakota school districts can now access ClassLink at zero cost thanks to a state-wide partnership.

North Dakota State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler says the state's ongoing project with ClassLink originated at the Department of Public Instruction and EduTech, a part of the state Information Technology Department.

Across the state, over 60 school districts, including Fargo, Williston, and Bismarck, are already using ClassLink to strengthen cybersecurity, improve access, and understand the usage of their digital learning resources.

Zero Costs
For North Dakota School Districts on the Full ClassLink Experience

School systems worldwide use ClassLink to deliver on the promise of education technology. Simplify access, analytics, and identity management—all with one platform and using secure Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Join 21 million students and staff in over 2,600 school systems and bridge the gap between technology and learning with ClassLink. To get started, all you need to do is complete a quick survey.

Get Started Survey

Let Us Answer Your Questions

Q

What is this initiative?

On June 6, 2022, North Dakota State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler announced that school districts across the state can access ClassLink at zero cost. Read all about the announcement and state-wide partnership here.

Q

Why is the state funding this initiative?

  • The state is always looking to help all districts be successful. We found that some districts were successful with easy SSO access to resources, usage data analytics, secure rostering, and the advanced use of MFA, all through ClassLink.
  • We want to help districts that do not have these advanced technologies so we can ensure technical equity for students and teachers across the state.
  • We evaluated an existing technology with notable successes in ND, positive customer service, all the technical functionality needed and more.
  • We negotiated a more favorable volume price with the vendor so we can bring this technology to all ND districts that choose to participate.
Q

What do schools receive through this initiative?

Full ClassLink suite (classlink.com/videos)

  • LaunchPad: End the painful student login process. Save time and cut confusion with single sign-on to a library of 6,000+ connectors.
  • Roster Server: Deliver class rosters to all of your digital learning resources instantly and securely using open data standards.
  • OneSync: Reduce the time it takes to create and manage student and staff accounts with secure, automated account provisioning. Provision accounts for Google, Office365 and Active Directory.
  • Analytics: Make informed purchasing and training decisions with access to usage data for all of the digital resources used through ClassLink.
  • Analytics+: Expand your understanding of digital engagement with usage analytics for all the digital resources used on school-owned devices, even those accessed outside of ClassLink.
  • MFA: Strengthen cybersecurity by implementing multi-factor authentication. ClassLink supports MFA for users based on their ClassLink profile. Choose from several second-factor options.
  • Public Portal: Establish transparency and build trust with a public-facing inventory of digital resources used in your district. Community members can see privacy settings, intended use, and the types of student data shared for each specific resource.
  • Parent Portal: Make managing school life easier for parents and guardians with a consistent place to access grades, lunch accounts, library assets, newsletters, and other supports.

Support Services

  • Implementation: A dedicated project manager is assigned and responsible for creating an individualized project plan with the district. The team will meet regularly and support every implementation step using our interactive project management software.
  • Engagement: Once ClassLink is live, our Engagement Director will be the single point of contact for the district. You will be personally informed of new and upcoming product features, able to join our ClassLink community of thousands of districts, and participate in user groups.
  • 24/7 Service Center support. Our service center has people ready to take your calls and emails at anytime. Product teams ensure the highest level of expertise needed is available and accessible.
  • Unlimited training resources for the life of the partnership: webinars, ClassLink Academy courses, live customized training, support for personnel changes, etc.
Q

What districts are already using ClassLink in North Dakota?

Alexander SD 2 Jamestown Public SD 1 Richardton-Taylor SD 34
Barnes County North Public SD 7 Kindred SD 2 Sawyer SD 16
Bottineau SD 1 Kulm SD 7 Solen Public SD 3
Burke CSD 36 Langdon Area SD 23 South Heart SD 9
Carrington Public SD 49 Larimore SD 44 St. John's Academy
Central Valley SD 3 Litchville-Marion SD Standing Rock SD 4
Devils Lake SD 1 Mandan Public SD Stanley SD 2
Dickinson Public Schools May-Port Cg SD 14 Strasburg SD 15
Divide County SD 1 McClusky Schools United Public Schools
Ellendale SD 40 Munich Public School Wahpeton SD 37
Fessenden-Bowdon SD 25 Napoleon SD 2 Warwick Public Schools
Flasher SD 39 New England SD 9 Washburn SD 4
Glen Ullin Public School New Rockford-Sheyenne Public SD 2 Williston SD 1
Grenora SD 99 North Dakota EduTech
Hankinson Public School Oakes SD 41
Q

What does this mean for school districts interested in using ClassLink?

School districts are invited to select the phase they would like to participate in for set up and implementation of ClassLink.

Complete the North Dakota – ClassLink Initiative Survey to select Phase preferences (option 1 and option 2)

Phase Install GoLive
4 Fall '23 Jan '24
5 Spring '24 Aug '24
Q

What is the expected timeline for this project?

Beginning Jun’22 and ongoing

  • Communication and education on ClassLink
  • Group and personal demonstrations
Phase 1/Pilot 2 3 4 5
Install Summer '22 Fall '22 Spring '22 Fall '23 Spring '24
GoLive Aug '22 Jan '23 Aug '23 Jan '24 Aug '24
Phase Install GoLive
1/Pilot Summer '22 Aug '22
2 Fall '22 Jan '23
3 Spring '22 Aug '23
4 Fall '23 Jan '24
5 Spring '24 Aug '24
Q

How much time and effort will it take to implement?

Typical LaunchPad/Roster Server implementations take ~25 hours to complete over 8 weeks.

Q

Are school districts required to implement ClassLink?

No, school districts will have the opportunity but not the requirement to implement ClassLink.

Q

Do I have to change everything I’m currently doing with single sign-on and rostering?

  • No, ClassLink’s LaunchPad is designed to bring all your resources into one place, no matter how you sign in to or roster the resource.
  • Applications inside of ClassLink could be single sign-on native to LaunchPad, Sign in with Google, Clever, Office365, Canvas or vendor-issued username/password, etc.

Interested in Using ClassLink?

We're excited to partner with you! We'll work closely with the ND Department of Public Instruction to select schools for each phase of our rollout process. Please use the link below to complete a short survey expressing your intention to start using ClassLink.

Get Started Survey

Hear From Ed Leaders in North Dakota

"ClassLink will make it easier, faster, and more secure for students and their families to use classroom technology. This means less stress and wasted time in the classroom, and at home, for students, teachers, and parents."
Kirsten Baesler Headshot
Kirsten Baesler
North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction
“What excites me most about this initiative [partnering with ClassLink] is how it will deliver substantial benefits to every role in education. The learner, their family, the teacher, the technology coordinator, the curriculum partner, the school administration, and the community.”
John Gieser Headshot
John Gieser
North Dakota K12 IT Strategy
"This is a one-stop-shop for all of the bookmarks a student needs. Before we started using the ClassLink suite, managing and resetting students’ various user IDs and passwords was a frequent nuisance for everyone"
Courtney Voorheis Headshot
Courtney Voorheis
Director of Data Security at Williston School District