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    Setting up Single Sign On (SSO)
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        Setting up Single Sign On (SSO)

            Article summary

            SSO enables teachers and students to log in to multiple websites using one set of login details. The main benefits of using Single Sign-On (SSO) are:

            • It's simpler to get your students started with Sparx Reader, as they won't need to go through the process of setting up a new username and password

            • There’s no need for you to manage password resets, as students won't need to remember another username and password. This reduces interruption for students and saves you time.

            Please note:

            • You will need a Sparx Reader account to set up Single Sign-On (SSO) for your school

            You can use SSO if you use Microsoft or Google in your school

            In order to use Single Sign-On (SSO) with Sparx Reader:

            ✅ Your school needs to provide Microsoft Office 365 or Google accounts to teachers and/or students (these are the login providers that we currently support)

            ✅ Your student email addresses need to be in your MIS

            ✅ You need to make your students' email addresses available to us in your MIS

            ✅ If your school uses Microsoft Office 365, your IT or Network Manager will need to approve our request to enable SSO for your school, so you'll need to get them involved in the setup process.

            Note: If your school uses Google or Microsoft services, but you log in via a different provider such as RealSmart (you don't see the standard Google or Microsoft login screen when logging in), you won't be able to use SSO with Sparx Reader.

            You can set up SSO on the School Settings page

            To understand how to do this follow the steps below:

            • On your Sparx Reader site, go to More > School Settings > Single Sign-On (SSO)

            • Choose your school's SSO provider

            • Enter your school's SSO domain. This will typically be the part that comes after the @ in your school email address. For example, if your email address is teacher@example.com, you'd enter example.com. You can optionally enter a different domain for students if your staff and student email addresses use a different domain:

            • Enable SSO for your teachers and click 'Save'

            We strongly recommend that you enable SSO for your teachers first, so you can verify that your setup is working without potentially disrupting your students’ ability to log in.

            • Log out of your Sparx Reader site via the user dropdown at the top-right of the screen. You'll be returned to your school's login screen where you'll now have the option to log in with SSO.

            • Attempt to log in with SSO to check that everything's working correctly.


            The first time each teacher logs into Sparx with SSO, they’ll need to verify their email address (they'll receive an email containing a verification link). This is an additional security measure to ensure that only authorised teachers at your school can access your student data. Students won't need to do anything and DO NOT receive any emails from Sparx.

            Disabling Sparx email and password login

            We recommend that you only allow your students and teachers to log in using SSO (i.e. you don't also want them to be able to log in with a Sparx username and password).

            To do this, select ‘Disable Sparx email and password login for teachers & students’ on Step 4 of the same School Settings page. Click Save when you're happy with your settings.

            Here's what it'll look like for students

            If you are only using SSO, students and teachers will see a screen similar to this one. They will need to use their Microsoft or Google credentials to log in.

            If you have both SSO and Sparx logins enabled then students and teachers will be able to choose how they log in.

            Note: students will not need to verify their email addresses in the same way that staff do.

            Additional information for Microsoft Schools

            If you use Microsoft Office 365 as your SSO provider, you will need to complete some additional steps to set up SSO in Sparx Reader.

            The first time a teacher or student attempts to log in to Sparx using their Microsoft account, your school’s Microsoft Azure administrator will need to approve our request to fully enable SSO. You may need to speak to your school’s IT contact or network administrator to help you to complete this step.

            Teachers and students won't be able to use SSO until this request has been approved.

            Most commonly, one of two things will happen:

            • If you are a Microsoft administrator for your school, you’ll be asked to approve the request yourself.

            • Or, you’ll receive a message telling you that authorisation is required before you can proceed. In this case, you likely don’t have permission to authorise the SSO setup yourself, but Microsoft will send an email to your school’s Microsoft administrator. Ask them to respond to this email to approve the request.

            Additional information for Google Schools

            If you use Google as your SSO provider, you will need to complete some additional steps to set up SSO in Sparx Reader.

            The first time a teacher or student attempts to log in to Sparx using their Google account, a request will be sent to the Google Admin console to allow access. You may need to speak to your school’s IT contact or network administrator to help you to complete this step.

            Teachers and students won't be able to use SSO until this request has been approved.

            Please see this Google help page for more information: Manage access to unconfigured third-party apps

            Frequently asked questions

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