Baltimore County Public Schools looks to the future of single sign-on

With Baltimore County Public Schools’ single sign-on platform, students only need one login for district devices they use to interface with the district’s network, but the district’s IT department isn’t stopping there. They’ll also be able to use single sign-on for their own devices, Jim Corns Jr., the district’s executive director of information technology told EdScoop in a video interview Monday.

“We’ve done a really great job with something we call BCPS One, which does single sign-on for all of our students,” Corns said at the Consortium for School Networking’s annual conference in Portland, Oregon.

But for Corns, it’s important to prepare for what the devices of tomorrow could bring to the district, and ensuring that students have the ability to connect as needed.

“We’re continuing to increase that functionality so that we can include not just the current devices that we’re using, but any device the student might come to our system with,” Corns said. “We’re really going to work on that ubiquitous access that is platform-agnostic and allows students a uniform experience as they’re working through their daily practice.”

The single sign-on capability fits into the district’s strategy of focusing on the “convergence of technologies,” Corns says. As part of that effort, the district is working to bring all of the different platforms they use into “one uniform area.”

Corns on the importance of cybersecurity and data privacy:

Corns on emerging tech trends:

Corns on the future of tech in school districts:

This video was filmed at the Consortium for School Networking’s annual conference in Portland, Oregon, on April 1, 2019.