18.1  General Questions

1. Am I automatically disconnected from SpEd Forms after a certain period of time?

2. A message appears saying that the "Page cannot be displayed". What's wrong?

3. How do I make a backup of my student information?

4. I'm using Mac OS X, what browser works best with the features of SpEd Forms? (Mac Only)

5. Two students appear to have their information mixed up. How did this happen?

6. Erroneous information is automatically entered into my forms. How do I turn off "Autofill"?

7. When I'm using ER Forms a message appears stating: "This page contains both secure and nonsecure items. Do you want to display the nonsecure items?" (PC Only)

8. A "debugging" window keeps coming up. Is this an error with SpEd Forms? (PC Only)

18.2  Working With Student Information

9. I cannot add a new student, I get a message saying the student already exists!

10. A student does not show up in my list. I'm sure they are assigned to me. Where are they?

11. Can I change a Student ID on my own, or should I call my SpEd Forms administrator?

12. How do I change the IEP Manager for a student?

13. When I enter information in a form, then come back later, my information is gone. What happened?

14. Why does the Spell Check find numbers and then only lets me ignore them one by one?

15. Sometimes I enter a date and it does not save. Why not?

16. Why are some names on my caseload not showing up on the Combined Report?

17. How do I exit a student from my caseload?

18. Can the IEP be "archived" so that you can keep last year's IEP and make a new one too?

19. How do I change the goals from last year to make them current for this year?

20. How do I re-number Goals?

21. Some tips for entering information into ER Forms

18.3  Printing from SpEd Forms

22. Can I print more than one page at a time?

23. I clicked the "Print" button, but nothing happens. What did I do wrong?

24. When I print, only the navigation buttons print. Where's my form? (Mac Only)

25. When I print, the web page address and other information prints. How do I prevent that from printing?

26. I seem to be only able to print the first goal/transition page. I am able to print the other goal pages when I first create them but not when I go back.

27. Can the print size be made larger?

1. Why am I automatically disconnected from SpEd Forms after a certain period of time?
   SpEd Forms will persist your connection for up to 24 hours. However, we recommend that you save your work at least every 20 minutes, especially when working on a dial-up internet connection.
   Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
   
   
2. A message appears saying that the "Page cannot be displayed". What's wrong?
   This is a general message displayed by Internet Explorer when your computer cannot connect to the server.
   1. Check your internet connection. If your internet connection has been disconnected, this message will be displayed.
   2. Check to make sure you have correctly followed the setup procedures outlined in Section 1.1 of the User Guide. (This message may be an indication that your page caching setting is incorrect.)
   3. If you continue to get this message please contact your SpEd Forms Administrator.
   Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
   
   
3. How do I make a backup of my student information?
   Your student information is stored on your school district's SpEd Forms server. Your SpEd Forms server administrator should make a daily backup of the data stored on your SpEd Forms server.
   Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
   
   
4. I'm using Mac OS X, what browser works best with the features of SpEd Forms? (Mac Only)
   We recommend using Firefox2. If you are using Opera, it works fine. For a comparison of how some of the more common Mac web browsers work with the features of SpEd Forms, refer to the Mac Test Results page at: http://spedforms.com/support/mac_test_results.htm
   Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
   
   
5. Two students appear to have their information mixed up. How did this happen?
   SpEd Forms remembers which student you are working on. The behavior described can occur for two reasons:
   1. If somebody else logs into SpEd Forms using your user name and password, then SpEd Forms may confuse the student you are working on with the student the other person is working on. Never share you user name and password.
   2. If you work on two computers and do not "Quit" SpEd Forms before moving to the second computer, SpEd Forms may confuse the students you are working on. Always "Quit" SpEd Forms before moving to a new machine.
   Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
   
   
6. Erroneous information is automatically entered into my forms. How do I turn off "Autofill"?
   When "Autofill" is turned on, the computer tries to automatically fill out forms. This can cause strange things to happen.
   PC Users (Internet Explorer)
   1. Select "Internet Options" from the "Tools" menu.
   2. Click the "Content" tab then click on the "Autocomplete" button.
   3. Uncheck "Forms" and "User names and passwords on forms".
   4. In the "General" tab, click on "Delete…" (browsing history) and "Delete forms/passwords".
   Mac Users (Firefox2)
   1. Select "Preferences" from the "Firefox" menu.
   2. Choose the "Privacy" tab and uncheck "Remember what I enter in forms and the...".
   3. Choose the "Security" tab and uncheck "Remember passwords for sites".
   4. Click on "Show Passwords..." then click on the "Remove All" button.
   Mac Users (Opera)
   1. Select "Preferences" from the "Opera" menu.
   2. Choose the "Wand" tab and uncheck "Let the Wand remember passwords".
   3. Clear out any (auto-complete) data then click on "Passwords" and delete all wand logins.
   Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
   
   
7. When I'm using ER Forms a message appears stating: "This page contains both secure and nonsecure items. Do you want to display the nonsecure items?" (PC Only)
   This message may appear if you have not completed the new setup instructions for DesignMode. The following instructions will also appear in section 1.1.1 of the SpEd Forms user guide.
   
   1. Open Internet Explorer and select "Internet Options" from the "Tools" menu.
   2. Select the "Security" tab and click on the "Custom Level..." button.
   3. In the "Miscellaneous" section - enable "Display Mixed Content" (When you click "OK" you will be asked if you want to change the security settings. This is to prevent the warning box from being displayed in "DesignMode", it has nothing to do with the security of your computer).
   Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
   
   
8. A "debugging" window keeps coming up. Is this an error with SpEd Forms? (PC Only)
   You can Disable Script Debugging in Internet Explorer's setup options.
   1. Select "Internet Options" from the "Tools" menu and choose the "Advanced" tab.
   2. In the "Browsing" section put a check in both "Disable Script Debugging" boxes.
   Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
   
   
9. I cannot add a new student, I get a message saying the student already exists!
   The Student ID number is used extensively throughout SpEd Forms. A student cannot be added if the Student ID you are using for the new student already exists. There are several reasons why a student may already exist in the system.
   1. This student may already have been added by another IEP Manager.
   2. A student that had been "exited" only needs to by reassigned by the Administrator.
   3. Students that had been deleted by an IEP Manager prior to 1/1/06 will still be in the system and need to be reassigned by the Administrator.
   NOTE: Contact your SpEd Forms administrator, they can search for the Student ID number you are using and determine if the student already exists in the system.
   Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
   
   
10. A student does not show up in my list. I'm sure they are assigned to me. Where are they?
    Solution 1:  The student may not be assigned to the same school district as the teacher.
    To show the student: Click on the "Work with students" button. In the drop down box above the list of students select "Students served by all districts".
    NOTE: To facilitate better organization of students for teachers working in multiple districts, students are now organized by school district in the teacher student list.
    Solution 2:  The student evaluation status is not a current special education evaluation status.
    To show the student: Click on the "Work with students" button. A list of active students will appear. Put a check in the "Show inactive/exited students" checkbox.
    NOTE: If the student does not show up automatically in the teacher list, the student does not have a current MARSS Evaluation Status. The teacher should correct this issue by changing the evaluation status for the student to a current evaluation status. SpEd Forms now keeps a history of all evaluation status changes for future reference.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    
    
11. Can I change a Student ID on my own, or should I call my SpEd Forms administrator?
    If you are the Case Manager for this student or have been given Edit Access you can change the student number. If you navigate to the "Work with students" list you can edit their number if the button states "Work on this Record" but not if it states "View this Record". To change the number:
    1. From the "Work with students" list click on "Work on this Record" for the intended student.
    2. On the "Forms Menu" click on the "Edit Setup" button.
    3. Next to the Student/MARSS ID click the "Edit" link.
    4. Change the number, as needed, and click "Save".
    NOTE: If you would prefer, you can contact your SpEd Forms administrator and they can do it for you as well.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    
    
12. How do I change the IEP Manager for a student?
    The current IEP Manager is able to reassign the student to a new IEP Manager.
    1. Navigate to the student's "Forms Menu", click on "Student Sharing" and then the "Send this student to a new case manager" button.
    2. Select the new IEP Manager from the drop down list and click "Send" (put a check in the "Reset current student sharing" checkbox if you no longer need access to this student, if you leave it unchecked you will continue to have edit access to this student).
    NOTE: If you are sending this student to a remote manager (not on the same server), fill in the information on the bottom of this page, click on the "Create Fax" button and fax it to the new IEP Manager.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    
    
13. When I enter information in a form, then come back later, my information is gone. What happened?
    The changes you have made to one of your forms could be lost for any of the following reasons:
    1. You may not have clicked the "Save" button after you had finished entering information. After you have finished making changes to ANY page, you must click the "Save" button to save your changes to the SpEd Forms server.
    2. If somebody else logs into SpEd Forms using your user name and password, then SpEd Forms may confuse the student you are working on with the student the other person is working on. Never share you user name and password.
    3. If you work on two computers and do not "Quit" SpEd Forms before moving to the second computer, SpEd Forms may confuse the students you are working on. Always quit SpEd Forms with the "Quit" button on the navigation bar before moving to a new machine.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    
    
14. Why does the Spell Check find numbers and then only lets me ignore them one by one?
    If the Spell Check only allows you to "Ignore Once" and/or the errors are shown in bold green text the Spell Check is checking for grammar. You can uncheck the "Check grammar" checkbox.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    
    
15. Sometimes I enter a date and it does not save. Why not?
    If you do not enter a valid date your date will not be saved. The date format is MM/DD/YYYY. If you enter any non-numeric characters in a date field it also will not be saved.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    
    
16. Why are some names on my caseload not showing up on the Combined Report?
    It may be because not all the proper fields are completed. In order for a record to appear on this report, you must have both a team meeting date and a primary disability entered into the system.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    
    
17. How do I exit a student from my caseload?
    Only those with edit access to the student can exit them from special education. To exit a student:
    1. From the "Work with students" list click on "Work on this Record" for the intended student.
    2. On the "Forms Menu" click on the "Edit Setup" button.
    3. Next to "Evaluation Status", select code 2, 5 or 7 and/or for the "Status End (Exit Reason)", select a code prefaced by the word "EXIT".
    4. Enter any other pertinent information and click "Save".
    NOTE: Once a student is exited they will no longer be listed on the teacher's list. Contact the SpEd Forms administrator to reassign a student that has been exited.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    
    
18. Can the IEP be "archived" so that you can keep last year's IEP and make a new one too?
    Teachers can click on the "Validate" button on the IEP menu, make any necessary changes and then click on the "Finalize" button. A History will then be made of all IEP pages. From the Forms Menu, click on the "History" tab to view any history pages that have been made for that student.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    
    
19. How do I change the goals from last year to make them current for this year?
    Simply delete the old goals and then enter the new information for this year.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    
    
20. How do I re-number Goals?
    On each goal page you are able to type a new number in the Goal Number box. After you change the number click "Save" and the goals will be reordered.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    
    
21. Some tips for entering information into ER Forms:
    The default print margins for SpEd Forms are 0.5 inch. This is because most of the state due process forms do not fit on a page with large margins. You can change the print margins by selecting Page Setup from the File Menu. If you do change the print margins for the Evaluation Report, don't forget to change them back when you print an IEP.

    If you paste text in from another document or Word Processing program make sure all of the special formatting has been omitted. Most of these Word Processing programs can save the document in "plain text" format or you can use a simple program like Notepad (PC) or TextEdit (Mac, under "Format" select "Make Plain Text"). Use the tips listed below to add formatting back into the document.

    DesignMode
    1. Type up whole paragraphs of text and then go back and highlight the areas you want to enhance (bold, italic, underline), otherwise it can become difficult to stop or undo these specific enhancements as you type. The alignment or indent buttons effect the whole paragraph where the cursor is located (not limited to the highlighted text).
    2. When adding tables from scratch, put some thought into how many rows and columns you will need (you cannot alter the table after it has been created). In most browsers you can click on the outer perimeter of the table and then hit the delete button to delete it.
    3. Tests and/or Criteria are imported at the point where the cursor is located (not at the bottom of the page as in Text Mode).
    
    Original Text Mode
    1. Use spaces rather than tabs to create columns within the report. Tabs are used to navigate between fields and cannot be typed into a report. We have used a special fixed-width font to make spaces hold so teachers can print in columns. If you are not sure how to create columns using spaces take a look at one of the test templates available in SpEd Forms. These test templates include columns and tables created using spaces rather than tabs.
          When working with spaces:
       • Use the Enter or Return key to move to another line. Do not use the space bar to advance to the next line because the browser will treat the group of spaces as one character and force the right margin off the page when you print.
       • Before you add more spaces to a line, make sure there are not existing spaces on this line. You can check this by using the arrow key to move right or by clicking to the right of the existing text (if the cursor jumps to where you click, spaces exist there).
       • If you choose a SpEd Forms template, click the mouse into the predefined spaces to enter measures.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    
    
22. Can I print more than one page at a time?
    Using SpEd Forms, you may print the entire IEP, IFSP, IIIP and ER by clicking on the "Print..." button toward the top of each of these menus (some Mac OS X browsers do not support this feature). Additional Forms can be printed one page at a time.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    
    
23.  I clicked the "Print" button, but nothing happens. What did I do wrong?
    Only one print window will open at a time. It's likely your print window is already open in the background and the new print preview has loaded into it. If you are on a PC, click ALT-TAB to cycle through the open browser windows until you find it. If you are on a Mac, select the print window from the "Window" menu.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    
    
24. (Mac OS Only) When I print, only the navigation buttons print. Where's my form?
    Make sure you click on the SpEd Forms print button (in the SpEd Forms navigation bar) and then print from the print preview window. If you select File>>Print without going to the print preview screen, only the heading will print.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    
    
25.  When I print, the web page address and other information prints. How do I prevent that from printing?
    Your browser should be setup to not print headers or footers. You'll find this setting in your page setup or print setup window. Please refer to the "Printing Setup" procedures found on Section 2 of the User Guide.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    
    
26. I seem to be only able to print the first goal/transition page. I am able to print the other goal pages when I first create them but not when I go back.
    The problem you are experiencing is probably related to the cache setup of your browser. Please refer to the Setup procedures found on Section 1.1 of the User Guide.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    
    
27. Can the print size be made larger?
    Yes. To make the printed font larger navigate to "Your Setup". In the "Profile", select the desired size from the "Print Font Size" drop down box. Click "Save" to save your changes.
    Back to: [ 18.1 General ] [ 18.2 Student Info ] [ 18.3 Printing ] [ 19. Support ] [ Top of Page ]
    

"Ease of use, consistent and reliable performance. Superb service!" Don Schuld from Stillwater.