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Getting started in ER Forms 

PLEASE NOTE: If ER Forms is installed for your district, "with ER Forms!" will be shown in red next to the evaluation report on the forms menu. Before you start using ER Forms you must ensure your computer is setup correctly. Please see Configuring Your Computer (Section 1.1 of this guide) if you have not already done so.

Overview of editing modes

There are two completely different editing modes that can be used when editing text in the various sections of ER Forms. The original way of using simple text editing commands has been the standard for several years. This involves the use of carriage returns (using the "enter" key) and spaces along with a fixed-width font (Courier) to line-up text and tables much like you would while using a simple text editor like Notepad, SimpleText or TextEdit. A new editing feature has been added to ER Forms where buttons can be clicked to modify the text including bold, italic, underline, alignment, indentation and the insertion of tables. This robust editing feature has been made available through specific web browsers by a technology called DesignMode. In most cases DesignMode has been made the default mode of editing in ER Forms

If your SpEd Forms administrator has allowed the use of "Text Mode", you will see an option in "Your Setup (Profile)" that you can use to choose whether DesignMode is on or off by default (see section 1.3 for more information). You will also have an opportunity to choose either editing mode when you begin a new evaluation report (when choosing a new template, check/uncheck the "DesignMode" checkbox before choosing the local/SpEd Forms template.

Important Note: Once you start an evaluation report, you must complete it using the same mode.

DesignMode requirements

To use the DesignMode editing features, you must have at least Internet Explorer 6, Opera 9 or Firefox.
Please make sure you are using a compatible and updated browser (some earlier Windows versions of Firefox/Mozilla/Netscape had been reported to drop the spaces between words after saving in DesignMode).

1. Navigate to the "Forms Menu" for the student you wish to work on.
2. Click on the "Evaluation Report" link toward the top of the "Forms Menu".

3. A message will appear asking if you would like to select a template for your evaluation report. There are two types of templates (besides a "blank" report) available for you to choose from.
• Local District Templates:
  These are templates created by your school district or cooperative, for your use.
• SpEd Forms Templates:
  Generic templates for each of the major disability areas used statewide.

NOTE: If this student already has a template you can choose a new template by clicking the "Choose a New Evaluation Template" button on the bottom of the menu page. If you follow through with choosing a new template, your existing template will be overwritten. See Section 7 for additional instructions on how to "Select a Template".

4. To start with a "Text Mode" template make sure "DesignMode" is NOT checked (if available).

NOTE: Designmode templates are specially formatted to work with the features of Designmode. If you choose not to use Designmode templates, you must use the original basic rules to edit the sections of your evaluation report.



5. If you choose "Blank Evaluation Report" you will be taken directly to the evaluation report menu. If you chose "Local District Template" or "SpEd Forms Template", a list of templates will appear. Click on the "Preview" button next to the template you wish to view.
6. A preview of the template you selected will be shown. If this is the template you want to use for your evaluation report click "Select This Template", otherwise click "Select Another Template" to view another.
7. The template will be automatically entered into the evaluation report and you will be taken to the evaluation report menu.