How to Simplify App Approvals & Public List Management

With thousands of educational apps available and in use in your district, visibility of which are in use and managing which are approved for classroom use is a critical responsibility – and districts need a way to simplify the process.

An effective app approval process is essential for protecting sensitive student information, enhancing security, and ensuring instructional alignment with curriculum goals. Publishing an approved apps list is increasingly becoming a requirement through state legislation (like Ohio’s SB29, NY Ed Law 2-D, and more) and meeting stakeholder expectations for transparency. This is the perfect time of year to ensure your apps are vetted and that your district’s public-facing list is in good shape.

App Approvals and Public List-Making, Simplified

Lightspeed Insight makes app approvals and public list management a breeze with tools and workflows to centralize vetting and collaboration, and promote transparency, empowering schools to start the new calendar year on the right foot. Let’s dive into the key features you can take advantage of now to ensure a seamless school year!

See Apps in Use & Save Time Vetting Them

Before you can determine which apps to approve or mark as not approved, you need complete visibility into which apps are in use. Gain insights into app usage across the district with the App Activity report. This report doesn’t require SSO logins to track usage; it pulls data from every device (on all OS and device types), and automatically aggregates app usage analytics into a report – no manual app curation required!

• Pro Tip: If you have our tool and want to check for rogue apps in use that haven’t been reviewed, quickly filter your App Activity report by apps without approval status to identify potentially risky apps.

Now it’s time to vet apps for compliance and security! Integrations with 1EdTech’s TrustEd Apps Program and the Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC) simplify the vetting process for IT, saving leaders 1-2 hours per app reviewed.

• Lightspeed Insight’s 1EdTech TrustEd Apps Program integration rates application privacy policies on a rubric, showing their compliance with laws like GDPR, FERPA, and COPPA as well as in other areas, such as data collection and security. These ratings give districts quick insight into what an application is doing with your student data without requiring an understanding of or excavation into complicated legal documents.
• Our SDPC integration shows how many districts in your state have data privacy agreements within the Consortium – this makes it easier to identify whether apps are compliant with state data privacy regulations, as apps with more agreements on file are less likely to be risky.

Streamline Collaboration with the App Approval Workflow 

It’s time to centralize your app approval process. Say “goodbye” to spreadsheets and scattered offline conversations and “hello” to efficient collaboration with a digitized workflow connecting IT, administrators, and teachers.

• Teachers can request apps for approval right from their daily tool, Lightspeed Classroom, or from the public-facing approved apps list in Lightspeed Insight. Requests will go directly to Lightspeed Insight for vetting.
• In Lightspeed Insight, IT and Curriculum can browse apps and set an approval status – Needs Review, Approved, and Not Approved – and they can also publish approved apps to the public list from the same workflow.
• Users can click into an app in the approvals queue to add comments, set an expiration date, campuses, grade levels, and more.

• Apps requested through Lightspeed Classroom or the Public List are automatically assigned the Needs Review status. Users can also manually mark an app as Needs Review from other sections, such as the App Library and App Activity report. The requester will be notified via email of changes to approval status to keep communication flowing seamlessly.

• Updates to apps, such as changes in approval status, will automatically reflect on the Public List for any app that has already been published, supporting an efficient process.
• In the approval status, designate the district or campus, campus group, grade levels, and approval date, and approval expiration date. Many districts tie it to the date of a data sharing agreement or purchase contract. You can also attach files such as data sharing agreements and make comments for important notes, such as if an app was approved by a Consortium or region center.

• Thanks to integration between Lightspeed Filter & Insight, you can even automate blocking apps that are marked “Not Approved.”

From there, you’re now ready to make your list of approved applications! 

Create a Public-Facing List

Maintaining an up-to-date approved apps list is crucial for compliance and building confidence within the school community. From Lightspeed Insight, districts can create and share a public list of approved apps, providing transparency for teachers, parents, and administrators.

• In Lightspeed Insight, create the list, publish it as a public-facing website, and share it with stakeholders. It has never been easier to comply with student data privacy laws and regulations requiring a public list and to help districts set expectations for teachers and students for application usage.
• With a few clicks, customize what information is included on your public list, from privacy policy alignment to SDPC agreements, the app website, campuses it’s approved for, date approved, and more.

Lightspeed Insight helps districts confidently navigate their digital landscape to ensure a successful school year. Schedule a demo to learn more about how to simplify your app approval process with our powerful platform.