A State Assigned Student Identifiers (SASID) is a unique identifier given to each student receiving a publicly funded education in Massachusetts. The SASID number remains with the student throughout his or her educational life in grades pre-K through 12, even as the student transfers from one district or school to another. If the student leaves the state and returns, the student will receive his/her original SASID. Districts can apply for a SASID using the Single Student Registration (SSR) or the Multiple Student Registration (MSR) applications. Once the SASID is assigned, districts can retrieve the unique identifier using the Publish Manager application.
Note: Districts who are paying tuition for students attending collaboratives, private facilities or private schools must apply for the SASID and provide those facilities with the SASID.
To receive a SASID for each student, districts must submit the following 8 student characteristics in the correct format to the Department: LASID, First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, Date of Birth, Gender, City/Town of Birth and Town of Residence in a comma separated value (.csv) or text (.txt) file for MSR or directly on the web using SSR. MSR and SSR will be available for district use all year.
When a district applies for a SASID, the student's demographic information is compared to every other student record in the DESE database. If the demographic information is determined to be unique, a 10 digit SASID will be generated for the student. If the demographic information is an exact match to an existing record, the existing SASID will be provided. If the demographic information is a potential match for an existing record, a case is created and the application will display the number "411." This means that more than one student had similar characteristics, that two districts are claiming the same student or that the district submitted the same student twice using similar characteristics. In these cases, DESE staff reviews the information and determines if the two records are the same student or if a new unique SASID is required. As "411" cases are resolved, the SASID numbers for those students are then posted to the original file located in Publish Manager.
For questions regarding SASID assignment or "411" cases, contact your data collection support specialist.
The Single Student Registration System (SSR) provides school districts with instant access to the DESE student directory database. This application can be accessed from gateway.edu.state.ma.us and is used for SASID look-ups, SASID assignments, and demographics updates on an individual basis. In order to access this application, the user must be set up as an SSR user in Directory Administration. This application allows the district user to lookup a student's SASID, update a student's demographics in the state directory, and assign SASID numbers to students.
First, look up the student's record by entering the SASID. The lookup screen will display the record as it exists in the DESE student directory. To update any of the demographics associated with the SASID, click the "Update Student Record" link at the bottom of the record. The next screen allows updates to first name, middle name, last name, suffix, date of birth, and/or gender. Before submitting the update, select the reason for the change: data entry error, birth certificate change, or student/guardian change request.
The Multiple Student Registration System (MSR) provides school districts the ability to assign SASID numbers to 5 or more students in one session via a .csv or .txt file. The file must include the standard header and format (see MSR Header document below). The MSR application can be accessed from gateway.edu.state.ma.us. In order to access this application the user must be set up as an MSR user in Directory Administration.
The results of the SASID assignment requests submitted in MSR can be accessed in the Publish Manager application. Records that are an exact match to an existing student record will have SASIDs published right away, while records that result in a "411" case will have SASIDs available in the Publish Manager file by the next day after the case is resolved by DESE staff.
MSR Header — Updated 04/03/2018
DESE provides transfer cards that include a place to indicate the student's state id (SASID). These transfer cards should be used when a student transfers between Massachusetts' school districts.
Transfer Card
Last Updated: October 22, 2019
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149
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