“Role Based Access” is coming to ASH

Technology designers have learned a lot in the last decade about building secure, intuitive, and multi-faceted approaches to software that we use for work. ASH, the Academy Support Hub, designed and built by NAF as our academy network has grown is about to get a big design lift, and new permissions and roles will be a big part of that change. 

The great news is that we’re building on best practices that have been developed over the last decade by an entire industry that is realizing the future of SaaS (Software as a Service), or web-based software. You can read more about the practices we’re building the new ASH with in posts like this one by Licia Li.  

In short, “Role Based Access” is the practice of building software infrastructure so that specific roles (think of staff in your Academy or district) have access to what they need, and the ability to edit and change information when it’s part of their job.  

There are few things to keep in mind as we get closer to the rollout of the new version of ASH this spring.  

1. Your “Role” may be called something new: but don’t worry, it’s only because we’re standardizing the way we name your access in the system. We’re working to cut down on confusion between role access in our system and job titles, and so you may see a shift in how ASH refers to you, but we think it’s worth it. Here’s a list of the Roles we’re launching with:

2. Permissions provide customization: In addition to the above eight roles, there are 8 different permissions that can be added to each role.  Because each academy, school and district is unique, we want to provide the easiest way possible to make sure that the system works for you.   

3. Roles put you in the driver’s seat, and help us keep student data safe: and the new system is going to make it easier for the right people in your school’s leadership to view, add, and edit information. These controls will help you and your NAF Portfolio Managers to make quick changes securely and move personnel on and off of the system without undue delay.  

4. Tools take culture: and culture takes time. If we were all hammering nails, a hammer would be just the thing for all of us. But managing student and academy data across our national network can be a complicated setting. Operationally, districts, schools, and even different academies within a school can work differently, making our tasks more unique. While it might take some time to get used to the new way of working on ASH, we hope you’ll stick with us and work with Support@naf.org as we dial things in. 

We can’t wait to have you join us in April as we are beginning to roll out some of the changes in this new Academy Support Hub. In addition to better roles and permissions, we hope you’ll start to take advantage of a more personalized experience, intuitive navigation, and speedier access to the things that help you move your academy goals forward.