May 7, 2020
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Snack-Pack Update for Skyward Districts
As of Thursday, April 16 Skyward released the update for the Snack-Pack which is a part of the Portable Student Records Service. The update is bundled into Addendum 06 of the February 2020 release:
PR 4173782: A portable records search for Snack Pack data from the state has been added to the Ed-Fi area.

To enable this service for your district,
  • First, you will need to ensure Addendum 6 of the February 2020 Release, is installed on your instance of Skyward.
  • Second, you will need to enable the “Allow Portable Record Retrieval” checkbox in the MiDataHub Cockpit. pictured below
  • This checkbox is found by logging into the MiDataHub cockpit, and clicking on the Skyward API (found in the bottom right corner of the screen).
The screenshot below is an example of how the data is returned from the state into Skyward for READ ONLY purposes.

IMPORTANT NOTE: There are a total of 18 fields available to retrieve in the Snack-Pack lookup. Skyward will only display fields that have values returned in the Snack-Pack request. Also please know that MiDataHub is only the conduit between Skyward and the state, therefore the data returned is as of the last data reported to the state.
Collaborating with CEPI, the MiDataHub team created a product catalog entry for the Snack-Pack services, which can be found by navigating to our website ( www.midatahub.org ), selecting the " product catalog " page, and searching for “ Snack-Pack ”.

As with any update or functionality provided by MiDataHub, if you have any issues or questions please let us know by sending an email to support@midatahub.org or contacting Skyward directly.
Get your Districts Data & SSO Connected
Reminder that now is a good time to make sure your district is properly connected to the data hub and Single Sign-On! One of the huge benefits of MiDataHub is the Single Sign-On (SSO). The MiDataHub SSO continues to be an easy way for district staff to access a large number of the data systems they are using. 

Right now the data hub cockpit, data hub dashboards, Algebra Nation, Career Cruising, Xello, MiRead, and MiStrategyBank systems all leverage the data hub SSO. Additionally, the Michigan Integrated Continuous Improvement Plan (MICIP ) tool, which is being developed for use by all districts statewide this fall, will utilize this method of access.  

Federation
The true value of the SSO is found when districts connect their Google or Microsoft active directory logins to the SSO, in a process called “federation". The federation process does not require a district to have data in MiDataHub in order to work. It simply requires walking through a set of steps in Google or Microsoft, and emailing MiDataHub support with the information needed to complete the connection. Often this requires less than 15 minutes of work for the district.

Our original ask was that all school districts state-wide complete the SSO federation process by the end of March, and we appreciate the effort towards that goal. As of this week there are currently 237 school districts (ISD/LEA/PSA) enrolled in the SSO services. This effort is a large undertaking and we appreciate everyone working towards this proactive work to ensure districts are able to take advantage of both current and future integrations available via the SSO functionality.

Configuring Federation
Please see the documentation links below for instructions on how to configure the federation type needed for your district. If you need any assistance with this process please let us know by reaching out to our support team at support@midatahub.org .

Documentation Links:   



If your district uses something other than the three login methods listed above, please email support@midatahub.org to let us know what your district uses.  
SSO Map Update
As a reminder, our partners at CEPI provide a monthly update (color coded) map of the statewide SSO status integration. The SSO map is similar to the participation map currently available at the same link (below) in that it provides a color coded status (teal) of districts that have the SSO enabled. you can find the most up to date map by going to www.midatahub.org and clicking on the “What is MiDataHub” pull down menu, then selecting the district participation link . 

(You will notice the map is rotating in a 10 second cycle rotation with the district participation map. If you would like to see the individual maps, click the “ View All Images ” link) 
There are three status types displayed on this map:
  • Teal: SSO enabled - District is integrated with the MiDataHub SSO

  • White: SSO not enabled - District is not integrated with the MiDataHub SSO

  • Gray: SSO status not available - Current status of district is not available

There are three different school types addressed on this map:
  • Circle - PSA
  • Square - ISD
  • Varying boundary - LEA

The expanded window in the lower left corner is a blown up perspective of schools in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties.
Participant Count
New Live Districts
  • N/A

New District Sign Ups
  • Detroit Leadership Academy

New Single Sign On Sign Ups
  • Ann Arbor Public Schools
  • Fulton Schools
  • GIRESD Schools
  • Hart Public Schools
  • IDA Public School
  • Leland Public Schools
  • Monroe Public Schools
  • Mt. Morris Consolidated Schools
  • Suttons Bay Public Schools

To register your district please email support@midatahub.org .