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Summary
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Description
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Manual Student Transfer: Automated Archiving for Returning Students
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Overview
To maintain data integrity and prevent record duplication when students transfer between districts or return to a previous district, PowerSchool Special Programs now automatically archives an existing student record before importing the newly transferred record.
Key Enhancements
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Clean Record Imports for Returning Students: When importing a student record via the Manual Transfer Envelope where the student ID already exists in the receiving district (such as a student who previously exited and is now re-enrolling), the system archives the existing local profile rather than appending new data to the old profile. This ensures that the newly imported IEP, accommodations, and service history serve as the accurate source of truth without mixing with outdated records.
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Archive Validation & Prompts:
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When a student ID conflict is detected during import, the system checks whether the Archive feature is enabled for the receiving tenant.
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If the Archive feature is not enabled, users are presented with a prompt to enable archiving to proceed with the transfer.
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If accepted, the Archive feature is enabled, and the transfer completes with the existing profile safely archived. If declined, the transfer is canceled.
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Standard Transfers Unaffected: For transfers where no student ID conflict exists, the import proceeds normally without requiring the Archive feature to be enabled.
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Single Sign-On (SSO) Redirection for Staff Email Notifications in State & Regional Module
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Overview
Enhanced the email notification workflow within the State & Regional (SR) Module so that links in automated staff notification emails dynamically direct users to their district or organization’s configured Single Sign-On (SSO) login page and target tenant workspace.
Key Improvements
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Automated SSO Detection: When staff members click links within system-generated email notifications (such as messaging alerts, digital signature updates, calendar invites, or scheduled report notices), the system dynamically determines the district’s authentication setup at the time of click.
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OpenID / OpenID Connect Support: Staff configured with OpenID or OpenID Connect authentication protocols are automatically directed to their organization's SSO sign-in portal instead of the standard username/password login screen.
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Target Tenant Redirection: After successful authentication, users are routed directly to the appropriate destination page and target tenant workspace within Special Programs.
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Enhanced Security Guardrails for "Assume Admin" Support Sessions
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Overview
To strengthen Single Sign-On (SSO) integrity and enhance administrative account security, access to credential management functions is now restricted during "Assume Admin" sessions. This update ensures that administrative credentials and SSO authentication flows cannot be modified or bypassed while troubleshooting in an assumed session.
Key Enhancements
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Credential Management Restrictions:
When operating within an "Assume Admin" session, credential management options—such as Reset Password and administrative User Profile Edit capabilities—are disabled in the User Management module.
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Clear Interface Guidance:
Hovering over restricted actions displays a helpful tooltip clarifying that credential management is unavailable while in "Assume Admin" mode.
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SSO Integrity Protection:
Direct URL navigation to restricted credential settings during an assumed session is blocked, protecting local accounts and preserving district SSO standards.
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Digital Signature: Deliver and Sign Documents in Translated Languages
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Special Programs now allows staff to deliver documents via Digital Signature in the document’s translated language. Signers (such as parents, guardians, and external contacts) no longer need to adjust their local browser language settings to review and sign documents in their preferred language.
This update supports state language-access compliance requirements (such as California SB 445 and Education Code Section 48985) by streamlining the digital signing experience for multilingual families.
What’s New & How It Works
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Direct Translated Delivery: When a document is translated into another language and sent out for digital signature, the signer receives and views the document directly in that translated language.
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Streamlined Signer Experience: Signers are presented with the document in the intended language automatically, without requiring manual browser translation or local language overrides.
Important System Behaviors & Template Guidelines
To ensure data integrity and proper storage during non-English signing workflows, please note the following updates regarding signable fields (fields located inside IFSIGN directives):
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Prefilling Translated Signable Fields:
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Staff can no longer prefill Character, Short Text, or Long Text fields with the Translatable property enabled when viewing or editing a document in a translated language if that field is inside an IFSIGN directive.
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In the translated view, these signable fields display as read-only and show the base (English) value.
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Why this changed: Values for fields within IFSIGN directives are stored in and retrieved from base tables rather than translation tables so they operate consistently during non-English signing. Field values can be entered/updated by staff when prefilling the base (default) document, or entered directly by the signer during the signing session.
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Translatable Property on Signable Fields:
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The Translatable property has no practical effect on fields located inside a signable IFSIGN area.
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Template designers do not need to enable Translatable for fields located inside IFSIGN. The Translatable property remains applicable to content and fields located outside signable areas.
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Unicode Property Recommended for Signable Fields:
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Any Character, Short Text, or Long Text field inside an IFSIGN directive should have the Unicode property enabled.
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Enabling Unicode ensures that non-English signers inputting responses in languages requiring international character sets will not experience character corruption or data loss when the document is submitted.
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Cancel Student Transfer Requests
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Overview
Districts can now cancel student transfer requests (envelopes) that were accepted in error—such as when a receiving district discovers a student has no active special education records. This update replaces the legacy deletion option with a reversible, audit-friendly Cancelled status that keeps active transfer queues clean without losing audit history.
Key Highlights & Enhancements
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Cancel Accepted Transfer Requests:
District users can change the status of an accepted transfer request to Cancelled. A confirmation prompt displays prior to canceling to prevent unintended status changes.
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Audit Trail & Historical Integrity:
Canceling a transfer request retains the complete record in the system for audit and compliance tracking (including timestamp and user details) rather than permanently deleting the data.
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Accurate Reporting & Dashboards:
Cancelled requests are automatically excluded from active transfer dashboard counts and state reporting data extracts, preventing inaccurate counts or processing bottlenecks.
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Integration Reporting & Performance Improvements
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Overview
This update delivers key performance enhancements to Special Programs integration management, providing faster dashboard loading times for administrators and automated maintenance to keep integration log browsing responsive.
What’s New & Improved
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