SIS Vendor Credentialing Overview

LEA coordinators can use the SIS Vendor Credentialing screen to establish credentials for their SIS vendors to access electronic SSRs and Lexile/Quantile Measures Reports (if the SIS vendor has configured the API specifications).

Vendor credentials consist of a username and “secret key.” One set of credentials is generated per LEA regardless of the number of vendors. The credentials are for use only by the SIS vendors and last for 365 days from the time they are generated. The LEA must securely provide this information to each vendor to allow for the secure transfer of electronic SSRs from TOMS to the identified vendor.

As the expiration date approaches, TOMS provides reminders to LEA coordinators to regenerate vendor credentials in TOMS. The reminders include the following:

  • Notification emails—TOMS sends the LEA coordinator email reminders two weeks, one week, three days, and one day prior to the 365-day expiration date, until credentials are regenerated.
  • MyTOMS Home—An announcement is displayed on the MyTOMS Home page beginning 14 days before vendor credentials expire and remains there until the vendor credentials are regenerated.
  • Text notification in TOMS—A current expiration-day countdown is displayed on the Credentials screen.

To access the SIS vendor Credentialing screen, select the [Credentialing] navigation tab from the top navigation bar (figure 1).

SIS Vendor Credential Navigation tab.

Figure 1. SIS Vendor Credential Navigation

Select one of the following subsections for further information:

Establish SIS Vendor Credentialing

Use the “Authorization to Release Student Data to Vendors” and “Credentials” sections to establish SIS vendor credentials (figure 2).

SIS Vendor Credentialing screen with Authorization to Release Student Data to Vendors section and Credentials section.

Figure 2. SIS Vendor Credentialing

Authorization to Release Student Data to Vendors

Use the “Authorization to Release Student Data to Vendors” section of the SIS Vendor Credentialing screen to confirm that LEA coordinators are authorizing ETS to provide SSR access to the designated vendors.

  • Select the Authorization to Release Student Data to Vendors checkbox.
  • Once the Authorization to Release Student Data to Vendors checkbox has been selected, either the [Generate Credentials] button or the [Regenerate Credentials] button is displayed, depending on whether credentials have previously been generated for the LEA. For details, refer to the Credentials subsection.

Credentials

Refer to this subsection for information about the status of vendor credentials and for instructions on how to generate or regenerate vendor credentials. Credentials last for 365 days from the time they are generated. This screen provides warning text that shows either how many days remain before the vendor credentials expire or whether the vendor credentials have already expired.

  • The [Generate Credentials] button will be displayed the first time credentials are generated (figure 3). The “Proceed with generating credentials?” pop-up message is displayed.
    • Select the [Cancel] button to stop generating the new credentials.
    • Select the [Yes, Generate Credentials] button to continue generating the new credentials.
  • Once credentials have been generated, selecting the [SHOW SECRET KEY] button will display the credentials. Selecting the [HIDE SECRET KEY] button will hide the credentials with *. The user must notate the credentials before leaving this screen. Once the user leaves this screen, credentials must be regenerated for them to be displayed.

If the credentials have been generated at least once and have now expired, on-screen instructions will provide directions for regenerating the credentials (figure 5).

Generate Credentials button.

Figure 3. Generate Credentials

Regenerate Credentials button.

Figure 4. Regenerate Credentials

Credentials section with 'Current credentials have expired' message and Regenerate Credentials button.

Figure 5. Credentials Have Expired and Must Be Regenerated