Release Notes
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      August, 2024 Release Notes

      Features

      Incremental sync for PowerSchool

      Audience: District Admin

      School Passport now supports incremental sync for the PowerSchool app. Now, instead of syncing all data every time, District Admins can update only data that has changed (such as new, updated, or deleted) since the last sync. As a result, this feature helps to reduce the time it takes to sync and minimize data transfer. See Synchronization Modes.

      Passport Login v2.0

      Audience: District Admin

      This version includes the following enhancements:

      • Bulk Face ID reset: District Admins and teachers can now reset Face ID for multiple students at once and for the entire school, making Face ID management easier and faster. See Face ID Setup (MFA).

      • Grace period reset on a new device login: If a user logs in from a new device, the grace period will be reset, requiring the user to authenticate, thus ensuring a more secure login process. See Passport Login.

      • Alternative login for ungraded students: District Admin can now set up an alternative login for students who do not have assigned grades. This means that all students, regardless of their current grade status, can securely access the necessary educational resources. See MFA for students.

      Webhook v2.0

      Audience: Vendor Admin

      The School Passport Webhook now includes the following:

      • Success Redirect URL: This field was added to specify where users should be directed after a successful webhook event to set up the connection and allow Vendors to provide/request additional information.
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      • New request query parameters: Webhook request now includes query parameters email and fullName. This allows Vendors to know which user set up the connection and therefore who the named contact is to ensure the trial/implementation success.

      See How to set up a webhook?

       

      Updates

      Enhanced support for demographic data

      Audience: All

      Added support of the following demographic data:

      • CEDS standard demographics fields:  metadata.iepStatus (Yes| No) and metadata.titleI (Yes| No). Accepts 'True' and 'False' values in the API.
      • Custom demographics fields: metadata.customFieldName (any value). Accepts 'as is' values in the API.
      • Home Language metadata field: Now supports 'English' values. Accepts 'Eng' and 'En' values for the metadata.homeLanguage field in the API. See CEDS Codes for English.

      Overall, this update makes it easier to handle demographic data by ensuring compliance and allowing customized fields for specific details.

      Coursera SSO Connector update 

      Audience: District Admin

      This update improves how schools use the Coursera Single Sign-On (SSO), allowing students to access multiple Coursera programs more easily. Now, District Admins can set up access to different courses in two ways:

      • Using bookmarks: When District Admin can create a bookmark, with a unique Coursera program identifier (programID) in the bookmark URL. For example, https://coursera.org/sso?programId=12345. 

      • Cloning connector: Schools can create copies of the SSO connector for different programs. Each copy will automatically know which program to connect to by using a specific identifier called courseraProgramId.

      These changes make it simpler for schools to manage access to various Coursera programs, ensuring that students can easily find and log into the right courses based on their needs.

      Added 'exempt' score status for PowerSchool grade sync

      Audience: All

      Results with a score status 'exempt' now accurately sync with PowerSchool. When synced, these results will be marked as 'ScoreStatus=EXEMPT' and 'Isexempt=true' in metadata extensions, enabling real-time student assessment status updates. Other score statuses will remain submitted as metadata only. See OneRoster ScoreStatus.

      Automatic school year assignment

      Audience: Vendor Admin

      The calendar.schoolYear is now automatically assigned to all newly created OneRoster applications. It now uses the greater value between calendar.schoolYear and calendar.endDate (e.g., if calendar.endDate is "11.2023", сalendar.schoolYear is "2024", сalendar.schoolYear will be "2024"). To apply this to the existing OneRoster application, please contact the Support Team and they will activate it for you.

      Automatic password rotation

      Audience: All

      School Passport now requires regular password rotations (updates). District Admins and Vendor Admins must refresh their credentials every 90 days to continue account access. Inactive accounts will be blocked for security purposes, and users can reach out to the Support Team for reactivation.

      Improved user identification

      Audience: All

      This update makes verifying users' identities easier and more secure during login and SSO. With additional fields now supported, user profiles will be more detailed during login. No action is required from users for this update.

      Improved AppStore performance

      Audience: All

      AppStore now has improved performance and stability.