Accounts Overview
This article aims to demystify how logins work in Princeton ISD. If you have any questions that are not addressed here, please call 2099 for assistance.
Terms
Source of Authority (SOA) | A Source of Authority (SOA) as it applies in Technology is a system that provides the official record of something. Other systems will get their information from their SOA. For example: Infinite Campus is the SOA for basic student information and rostering. |
Identity Provider (IdP) | An Identity Provider (IdP) is an SOA for user logins. An IdP is used to tell a system that you are logging in to whether your login credentials are valid. |
Active Directory (AD) | Active Directory (AD) is a database of user login information. It is used to authenticate several district systems including any computer that is not a Chrome device. It is also a SOA for certain services. This is sometimes referred to as your "network login." |
Single Sign-On (SSO) | Single Sign-On (SSO) is a technology that allows a service like Google or ClassLink to act as an IdP for another service. There are several types of SSO but they are all essentially one service sending information to another service to allow you to log in without typing a password. For example: |
Overview
Every person in Princeton ISD has at least two logins. One is stored in Active Directory (AD) and one is stored in Google. These logins are not connected in any way and it is possible for usernames and passwords to differ between these systems.
Your AD login is used when logging in to any computer that is not a Chrome device. It is also used for logging in to services like the Knowledge Base and ClassLink.
Your Google login is used when logging in to a Chrome device like a Chromebook. It can also be used to log in to 3rd-party websites and to ClassLink (assuming you have linked your Google account to ClassLink).
ClassLink
What is Classlink?
ClassLink is a tool for simplifying the task of logging in to multiple services within an educational environment. It also provides access to your U: and P: drives from anywhere with an internet connection. Behind the scenes, it handles creating accounts in several of the 3rd-party services that we use in the district and acts as an SSO provider for many of these services. There is a section of the Knowledge Base dedicated to ClassLink which is located here.
Why do I need ClassLink?
Most 3rd-party resources that are provided by the district use ClassLink to log in. This is accomplished using Single Sign-On technology or by automatically filling passwords on supported sites. A full list of supported sites is available here. It can also be used to store and fill credentials in other websites that are not directly rostered by the technology department.
Please Note: Websites that use auto-fill to log in will have a brief delay between the website appearing and the form being filled. Please do not enter any credentials while this is happening as it may interrupt the process.
How do I log in to ClassLink?
ClassLink used Active Directory as it's Identity Provider. Because of that, you can use your AD credentials to log in to ClassLink. ClassLink also supports using Single Sign-On with Google. This allows for quicker logins to ClassLink if you are already logged in to your Google account. In order for this process to work your ClassLink account must be linked to your Google account. This process must be completed by every person. Instructions are located here.
FAQ
- How are student accounts created?
- How do I log in to...?
- ClassLink says Not Connected when I try to log in with Google
- My students are constantly having trouble with passwords. What is happening?
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My students are trying to log in to a district provided site but their logins are not working.
- What grade levels are required to change their passwords?
How are student accounts created?
Student accounts are created automatically using data pulled from Infinite Campus. A detailed article has been written on the subject which is located here.
Please note: You must be logged in to the knowledge base to see the article. The Knowledge Base uses your AD login.
How do I log in to...?
- If the service is part of this list (link) use ClassLink to log in.
- If you are trying to log in to the Princeton ISD website put in a ticket so that our webmaster can assist you with getting logged in.
- If you are trying to log in to Eduphoria, your username is your district email and your password can be reset using the "Forgot Password?" link on the Eduphoria login page (link). This login is separate from both AD and Google logins.
- If you are trying to log in to the TEKS Resource System your username will be your Princeton ISD email. If you are unable to reset your password, put in a ticket so that we can assist you further.
- If you are trying to log in to Infinite Campus contact your campus PEIMS coordinator.
ClassLink says Not Connected when I try to log in with Google
In order to sign in to ClassLink with Google you must link your Google account to your ClassLink account. The process is documented here.
My students are constantly having trouble with passwords. What is happening?
In most cases, students are unaware that they have two logins with separate passwords. They set one password and then try to use a service that relies on the other account. They are unable to log in to the second account because they have never set their password on that service. This leads to a password reset request and starts the process over again. This tends to escalate to further issues because students will sometimes use different passwords for AD and Google meaning that they have to remember two passwords. The best way to combat this is to explain that the logins are separate and to make sure the student uses the same password across AD and Google.
My students are trying to log in to a district provided site but their logins are not working.
There are several issues that can arise when attempting to log in to a service via ClassLink. Most are listed below along with some troubleshooting steps.
Students report invalid password/access denied |
This is usually one of two issues.
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Students are prompted by ClassLink to enter a password |
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To get a student's AD or Google password reset please put in a ticket under the Password Reset category or call 2099.
What grade levels are required to change their passwords?
Starting in 6th grade, students are required to change their password when they log in for the first time and after every password reset. This aids in protecting their district accounts and data from being compromised.