On September 17, 2026, ClassLink enabled a new Partner Access Window (PAW) to obfuscate data shared through the ClassLink Partner Portal. What does this mean for publishers and school districts, and how can you mitigate the unfortunate effects?
How is District Data Shared with Publishers?
When districts authorize a ClassLink connection to a publisher and share specific class rosters, they are asking publishers to make use of that data to support automatic rostering and SSO for the district. The shared data is typically protected by a Data Sharing Agreement or similar privacy contract between the publisher and the district. As part of those agreements, publishers agree to be responsible for the data, limit access only to personnel on a "need-to-know" basis, etc. Districts do not establish the ClassLink connection unless they are already confident the publisher will treat their data securely.
Data is communicated to publishers in two broad formats - one for machines and one for humans.
- OneRoster API - Publisher systems will programmatically access the data to integrate class rosters into the publisher's system and support SSO.
- ClassLink Partner Portal - Authorized publisher support personnel will use the roster visualization features in the Partner Portal to view shared roster data when setting up initial integrations and to troubleshoot issues as they arise later (see below).
While the Partner Portal is the main and most convenient way publisher personnel access the data, other avenues do exist (e.g. sanitycheck.oneroster.com or other internally developed visualization tools built on top of the OneRoster API).
How do publishers use the ClassLink Partner Portal?
Authorized publisher personnel log into the Partner Portal to complete an initial integration setup and for ongoing troubleshooting throughout the school year. Both types of activities require those personnel to view the unmasked rosters shared with the publisher. Here is a typical example of a troubleshooting question asked by a teacher:
"Can you check if you are receiving any rosters from AAA campus for BBB course? We have a student named CCC that doesn't seem to be rostered, and we want to know if his data is being shared with you."
Prior to the imposition of the PAW, publishers could provide instant support by logging into the Publisher Portal and observing the shared roster data. We could provide real-time resolution to problems while teachers were on the phone or while chatting online.
What is the ClassLink Partner Access Window (PAW)?
The Partner Access Window (PAW) is a new ClassLink feature that obfuscates (hides) most information on shared rosters from authorized publisher personnel who log into the Partner Portal. You can read about it on these (and other) ClassLink pages:
https://help.classlink.com/s/article/cmc-manage-partner-access-window-requests
https://help.classlink.com/s/article/partner-access-windows-disallowed-masked-and-visible
With the PAW enabled, publisher personnel cannot see the names or other identifying data about schools, teachers, students, courses, etc. Unredacted information is still shared with the publisher through the OneRoster API. So, the machines providing automatic rostering and SSO services are not impacted, only the humans providing support.
What is the Impact of the ClassLink Partner Access Window (PAW)?
In short, enabling the PAW is a major obstacle for publishers who want to provide timely support to districts. Previously, we could instantly provide answers and resolve problems in real-time. Now, a typical support request will look like this:
- Teacher: [Asks an urgent question to resolve an issue]
- CompuScholar: With the PAW enabled, we can't answer your question. We have sent a request to your district ClassLink admin to unmask the data so we can see what's going on.
- Teacher: OK, I'll wait.
- District ClassLink Admin: [Waiting hours to days for a response - may be on vacation or otherwise unavailable]
- District ClassLink Admin: I see you've requested access to unmasked data, but I don't know what's going on.
- CompuScholar: Your teachers asked us to solve a problem, and we need this access. You have been sharing unmasked data with our authorized personnel for years - nothing has changed, but this PAW is in our way.
- District ClassLink Admin: OK, I've approved temporary access to unmasked data.
- CompuScholar: Thank you, we have resolved the teacher's original problem.
- [Sequence repeats for every support question.]
While District ClassLink admins may approve unmasking requests without objection, they are nonetheless required to become involved EVERY TIME a teacher has a question that needs urgent resolution. Instead of solving problems instantly, resolution may now take hours or days.
Does the Partner Access Window (PAW) Really Improve Security?
No, it does not. Authorized publisher personnel still have access to unredacted data in a variety of ways, including observation of data in internal publisher systems, access through the OneRoster API, and access through alternative roster visualization interfaces like sanitycheck.oneroster.com. However, these alternate routes are generally not as easy to access and may not have sufficient data to troubleshoot problems. The ClassLink Partner Portal is still a critical element used by publishers for roster visualization and troubleshooting.
What is CompuScholar's Recommended Best Practice?
The only realistic way we see to avoid involving district ClassLink admins in common troubleshooting scenarios is to permanently unmask all data sent to CompuScholar through the PAW. This is a request we can (and will) send to ClassLink admins when we see masked data in the Partner Portal, and we recommend approval of these requests when they arrive. Districts have trusted publishers with this same access for years, and the restrictions imposed by the PAW simply make everyone's life more difficult without actually improving security.
We have communicated our concerns to ClassLink and suggested they make the new PAW masking an "opt-in" feature for districts instead of forcing it on everyone by default. That way, districts must explicitly sign up for the additional administrative burden and degradation in issue resolution times. We encourage you to contact your ClassLink representative as well to support this idea.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the issue. Please share with your designated Customer Service Rep or Contact Us through our website!