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How to login to Formative

Information about SSO and troubleshooting when logging in

Neta Raz Studnitski avatar
Written by Neta Raz Studnitski
Updated today

In this article:

  • Using Single Sign-On

  • Logging in through SSO or email/password

  • Changing or resetting a password for yourself or a student

  • Troubleshooting common login issues

What is SSO and why is it used?

Single Sign-On allows you to use your Google, Microsoft, or Clever profile to authenticate you when logging into Formative. If your school account is tied to one of these providers, we encourage you to use SSO for efficiency.

If you have an existing account with Newsela, you can also use Single Sign-On with your Newsela profile to authenticate you when logging into Formative.

If you don't use one of those providers, you can create a unique password for your Formative login. Students and teachers can use either method.

Log In

  1. Go to formative.com and click "Sign In"

  2. Log in with a Google, Clever, or Microsoft account by clicking on the relevant icon, or if you have a Newsela account click the Newsela icon prompt.
    If you don't use one of these services, type in your email and password in the designated fields, then click the blue 'Log In' button

Change your account's unique password

If your account is set with an email & password combination, you can change your password at any time. If you know your current password, log into your account and follow the steps below (if you don't remember your current password, click here for instructions):

  1. Click 'My account' on the left-side menu and select 'Account info' from the dropdown list

  2. Click on "Change Password"

  3. Enter your current password

  4. Enter the new password

  5. Click on the "Update Password" button

  6. Decide if you'd like to log out of all current sessions, or remain logged in and just close the confirmation window

I forgot my password

Note: If you use SSO from Google, Clever, or Microsoft, you have to find or reset your password with those providers.

If you signed up to Formative with an email & password combination:

  1. Click the 'Forgot password?' link on the login page.

  2. Enter your email address that you use for Formative.

  3. Check your inbox for a link to reset your password.

Tip: If you don't see an email with a password reset link in your inbox, please check your spam folder.

Teachers: You can reset a password for a student who uses a username/password or email/password - see instructions below.

Reset the password for a student in your class

If your student is using a username/password or email/password combination to log into Formative, you can reset their password by following the steps below.

Note: You cannot reset students' Google, Clever, or Microsoft passwords by following these steps. If your student logs in with one of these systems and has forgotten their Google / Clever / Microsoft password, please contact the relevant system administrator at your school to have the password reset.

  1. Go to the "Classes" tab.

  2. Click on a class' tile to access its' Student Management page

  3. Check the box next to the student whose password you want to reset

  4. Select 'Reset password' fro the menu that appears at the bottom of the page

  5. Proceed to type in the student's new password, and confirm the reset

  6. Let your student know what their new password is

Link your account to multiple SSO login services

If your school district uses multiple SSO services (for example, both Google and Clever) you can connect your Formative account to all of them, which will allow you to log into your Formative account using any of them.

Once your account has been setup with any type of login method, follow the steps below to link your account to additional ones:

  1. Log into your Formative account

  2. Click on 'My account' on the left side menu

  3. Select 'Account info' from the dropdown list

  4. Identify the SSO method you would like to add and click 'Link' next to it

  5. Proceed to enter your SSO service credentials and confirm linking it to Formative

Unlink SSO service from your account

To remove a Single Sign-On service from your Formative account:

  1. Log into your Formative account

  2. Click on 'My account' on the left side menu

  3. Select 'Account info' from the dropdown list

  4. Identify the SSO method you would like to remove and click 'Unlink' next to it


Troubleshooting

Having trouble logging into Formative? Follow these troubleshooting steps to resolve common login issues on your own. These steps will help ensure you’re using the correct login method, accessing the right account, and resolving technical barriers. If the issue persists after trying these steps, you may need to contact your school’s system administrator for further assistance.

🛠️ General Troubleshooting steps:

  • Confirm you are using the correct login method

    • From app.formative.com/login select your designated login method (Google, Clever, Microsoft, Username/Password, Newsela SSO, or direct link)

    • Do not use email/password login from app.formative.com if your school uses SSO for authentication

  • Update Browser version, Clear Cache & try another browser

    • Confirm your browser is updated to the most recent version (whatismybrowser.com)

    • Clear cache and cookies from your browser settings (Instructions Here)

    • Open a private/incognito window and attempt to login

  • Ensure you’re logged into the correct LMS account on your device (Google, Clever, Microsoft, Canvas, Schoology, etc.)

    • From the LMS, log out and log back in using your school-issued credentials

  • Make sure there are no ad-blockers, pop-up blockers or 3rd party blockers on your browser’s account and on the school’s network, firewall and content filters

🛠️ SSO Login Issues

SSO is saying I don't have a Formative account, but I'm sure I do!

Check that you are logged into your browser/device with the account you use for Formative. If you are using a shared device, you may be on someone else's profile.

SSO is stuck in a loop, sending me back to the login screen.

Try these steps:

Since these steps vary between devices and browsers, try searching for the instructions for your specific device/browser or contact your school's IT administrator.

I am unable to link an SSO service to my account

  • It is possible that your district has restricted the types of SSO services they allow using with Formative. Reach out to your systems admin to inquire what SSO service you should use

  • If attempting to link with Google SSO and running into error message - it may be that your district has yet to add Formative as a Trusted App in Google Workspace for Education. Reach out to your school/district Google Workspace admin and provide them with the instructions listed here.

I signed up with SSO but it keeps getting blocked when logging in / The SSO button is grayed out

This normally will happen for one (or more) of the following reasons:

  • Your district selected to restrict the types of login methods allowed with Formative

  • Your district has not whitelisted Formative with the SSO service

  • Your district did not add Formative as a Trusted App in Google Workspace

To fully resolve please reach out to your district's systems admin so they could check on the above.

As a workaround - you can use the Envelope icon on Formative's login page to access your account in the meanwhile. Click the Envelope, enter your email address that is associated with your Formative account, then locate the one-time unique direct link sent from our platform to your Email inbox to gain access (if not found in your inbox, please check your Spam folder as well)

Clever Specific

  • Check Clever Permissions

    • Ensure your district has shared your account with Formative. If you are unsure, you can confirm this with your school or district’s IT contact

    • Verify that your Teacher account in Clever is active and associated with the correct school

Google Specific

  • Check that you are logged into the correct Google account

  • Check Google Classroom Permissions (if applicable)

    • Ensure your district has added Formative as a trusted app in Google Workspace for Education

    • Ensure there are no pop-up blockers, ad-blockers, or 3rd party blockers enabled for Formative on your Chrome profile

Microsoft Specific

  • Ensure you are logging in correctly, using Microsoft SSO, and that there are no misspells in the email address you’re selecting

  • If you are logging in on a shared device, check that you are logged in to your own Microsoft account

🛠️ Newsela SSO login issues

Teachers who have a Newsela account can use their Newsela Login Credentials as SSO for both signing-up for a new Formative account AND to login to their existing Formative account.

Using Newsela SSO for Sign-up (creating a new Formative account)

If you have a Newsela account but don't have a Formative account yet, you can use your Newsela login credentials to sign up for a new account by following the steps below:

  • Click the button with the Newsela icon on it

  • Formative will pick-up the email address associated with any active Newsela session on the same browser, and will sign you up for a Formative account with the same information

    • Note: If you are not actively logged into your Newsela account on the same browser at the time you click the button - you will be redirected to the Newsela Login experience. Upon successfully logging into your Newsela account, your information will be used to sign you up for a Formative account

Using Newsela SSO for Login (accessing an existing Formative account)

If you already have both a Newsela account and a Formative account (must be associated with the same email address), you can associate the two accounts and use SSO login by following the steps below:

  • Click on the Newsela SSO button

  • If you are NOT currently logged into your Newsela account on the same browser:

    • You will be redirected to the Newsela Login experience --> upon successfully logging in to your Newsela account, you will immediately get logged into your Formative account, and re-directed into your Formative account

  • If you are currently logged into your Newsela account on the same browser:

    • You will immediately get logged into your Formative account without needing to re-enter your Newsela login credentials

How do I know Newsela SSO has been enabled on my account? Can I remove Newsela SSO from it?

A Formative user's Account Info page includes information of all the different login methods activated on the account. You can navigate to "My Account > Account Info" and view these to confirm if Newsela SSO has been added to the list.

From here, you can un-link the Newsela SSO if you don't want to use it anymore.

🛠️ Accessing from another LMS (LTI connections)

If you're attempting to access Formative from within Schoology, Canvas, Blackbaud, etc.

  • Confirm with your school's System Admin that the integration between the LMS and Formative has been setup

  • Confirm the integration is setup correctly (i.e. it has not expired or completed by an old admin that no longer has access)

  • Check your account setting to confirm if your account is associated with the correct school site

🛠️ I forgot my password

If your username is an email address

  • From app.formative.com/login click ‘Forgot password?’’

  • Enter the email address associated with your Formative account

  • Go to your email inbox and locate the password reset email sent from Formative (it may be in your ‘Spam’ folder)

  • Click the link within the password reset email to select a new password

If your username is not an email address (student accounts only)

  • Reach out to your teacher and request that they reset your password from their account. Your teacher will provide you with your new password.

If you have completed all of the above troubleshooting steps and are still unable to log into Formative, please submit a support request with details and screenshots of your experience.

What's next?

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