Product: Roster Server
Audience: ClassLink Administrator
The ClassLink Roster Server can connect to the PowerSchool Student Information System using the API.
1. To configure your PowerSchool to accept Roster Server connections, go to the API and follow this path:
2. The file you need to upload is available in Roster Server console under Settings.
3. You will need to edit the downloaded OneRoster.xml file.
4. Click on the OneRoster.xml file and open in a text editor. There are four values that we recommended filling out:
- change <DistrictName> on line 5 to your district's name.
- change <DistrictName> on line 10 to your district's name.
- change <EmailAddress> on line 11 to your email address.
Note: Please be aware of common errors: 1) Make sure to remove the <> characters in the quotes for name, publisher name, and contact email. 2) There is a hidden character limit on the name and publisher name. If the .xml does not import successfully, try reducing the number of characters for these fields.
5. To differentiate this connection from the others, have the name set as "ClassLink."
6. Once you are finished editing the file, save and close it, then upload to PowerSchool. Select the XML plug-in installation file and select Install. The plug-in will appear in the Installed Plugins section.
7. Scroll down to enable your newly created plugin. Select the Enable option on the Plugin Management Dashboard page for the plug-in.
8. Go to the Data Provider Configuration page to retrieve your key and secret. Choose Data Configuration to view the oAuth credentials that were generated for the plug-in. Record the values for the Client ID and Client Secret. Before closing the window, set the Maximum Page Size to 1000 and click Submit.
9. Log into ClassLink LaunchPad and click on your Roster Server app (or click on your ClassLink Management Console app, then click on Roster Server from the left frame). You can also access the Roster Server Console by logging in through https://console.oneroster.com.
10. In the top, right menu, go to Settings -> General -> Student information System to enter your retrieved values.
11. In the fields under Connector Parameters, enter your PowerSchool URL and the retrieved Key and Secret.
12. The PowerSchool API connector has additional settings that should be turned on for new districts. Merge Users prevents an issue regarding duplicate users in PowerSchool's data. Make sure the Merge Criteria field is set to "hash" and Match Criteria for Hashing is set to "username" and make sure Alternative userSourcedId is enabled.
These settings will ensure that there are no duplicate user entries for the same user and maintains the uniqueness of the sourcedIds across all staff members who teach at multiple schools.
13. Click SAVE in the bottom right corner.
14. Click Test Connection and a message of success will appear.
15. Above, turn the Enabled switch on.
16. Click Run Connection (This may take a while)
17. Above, in the left menu, under Daily Sync, toggle the Daily Sync to Enabled and choose a sync schedule.
18. Go on Imports -> Import Now and your files will appear.
19. After you have communicated with your vendors, go to the top menu and click Applications to choose the applications to roster. This document will help as well.
Updated: Apr 2020