Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
FAQ Areas:
General information
What information does SNIP keep track of?
- Student information: name, date of birth, year level, referral date, comments;
- Ascertainment dates, impairment type, level, review date, IEP date;
- Appraisement date, program type, review date;
- Assessment types and associated dates and comments;
- Intervention types, year and terms, and comments;
- Communication: notes about phone calls or case conferences
- Support Plans (version 3.0.0 or higher) may now be developed for each appraised student using a bank of goals and strategies.
How can I try SNIP out?
Contact Coral C Software by phone, fax, or
to request a copy of the SNIP CD to trial. Another option is to download the SNIP demo. The program comes with sample student data so that you can look it over to see if SNIP meets your needs. You may add only a few more students. When you decide to purchase SNIP, send us the SNIP Order form (Reports – Print Order Form) and a school Order and we will send you a Registration disk. The program on this disk will delete the sample students, allow you to add an unlimited number of students, and personalise the reports with your school name.
What do Date of Entry and Date of Referral mean?
Entry means when the information was entered into SNIP. This is important because it is used to calculate the student's current year level. Referral has to do with your school's referral process – generally the date on the student's initial referral form to the school’s Special Needs Committee or your equivalent structure.
What do I do to update the students when a new year begins?
Nothing. Their current year level will automatically be updated on January 1. If a student repeats a year level, then a 1 must be typed in their Repeat box.
What do I do when a student leaves the school?
Tick the student’s Status box Inactive. SNIP was designed so that student information will always be retained in case educational or legal issues are raised about a student and you need to recall that information. As the SNIP database can hold an unlimited number of students, we thought it best that all information be retained. You may view (and print reports on) either the Active or the Inactive students.
Can I use SNIP on a Macintosh?
No. We support only the Microsoft operating platforms at this time.
What kind of security is on the information?
SNIP provides only entry-level security in the form of a password. The database itself is not encrypted. This means that if someone has Microsoft Access or other data access abilities, then they can read the SNIP data. As SNIP is a networked product, it allows you to place the SNIP database on a secure server. The server’s security model can then protect access to SNIP. For instance, if the database is located on the server your network administrator can place privileges on the directory so that only select users can access the data. This method provides a very secure environment for SNIP. If SNIP is stored on a local workstation, then it can only be secure if the workstation is running Microsoft NT as its operating system. If you’re running locally on a Windows 95 or 98 operating system, then SNIP is not secure beyond the entry password.
Can I export SNIP information to a Word document?
Yes. You can export any of the reports to various file formats such as Word, Excel, HTML (Web browser language) or even directly into an email. While viewing a report, you’ll notice a button at the top of the preview screen that looks like an envelope with a red arrow pointing into it. Click this button and you’ll be presented with a dialog box giving you various options. The first drop down list allows you to select the export format. For instance select Word for Windows (after sliding the button down to the bottom of the list). The second drop down list allows you to select the destination (a disk file is the default). Simply select the format and destination and when you hit OK, you will be prompted for a file name and location to store the resulting file. If you selected Word format a file will be created with the name and location you choose. You can then open this file from Word like you would any other document.
Can I export information to SMS?
No. Export to SMS is not supported at this time.
Can I work on SNIP on my home computer?
Yes. You just back up the data on the A drive and take the floppy disk home. Install SNIP on your home computer (a standard SNIP license allows you to install on one home computer only) and use the Registration disk as you did on the school computer. Then go to the File – Recover option on your SNIP menu bar to replace the data on your home computer with that from the school computer. Do the same procedure to backup from the home computer and then recover on the school computer. Be sure to alternate among several floppy disks in case one goes bad (this can happen fairly often) to minimise loss of data.
Can I use SNIP at my other schools?
The SNIP license is for one school only, so each school needs to purchase its own copy of SNIP. This also ensures that the correct school’s name is on the printed reports.
How do I order SNIP?
If you already have a demo copy of SNIP, complete the SNIP Order form (from SNIP: Reports – Print order form) and a school Order, then contact Coral C Software by letter,
, phone, or fax. Click here to download a fax-back order form.
New SNIP Purchasers
How do I install SNIP for the first time?
First, close down any programs that are open. Then either put the CD in the CD-ROM drive, or download SNIP from the web site onto the computer. SNIP will install automatically. If Autorun is not enabled on the computer, use Windows Explorer to find the setup.exe program on the CD and double click.
Alternatively, press the Start button on the toolbar and select Run. Type d:setup (If d is not the CD drive, then replace the d with the drive letter designating your CD-ROM drive) in the dialog box, and press OK.
I'm having trouble installing SNIP on my Windows NT computer.
Windows NT is a secure operating system. Installing programs under NT can only be done at the Administrator security level. Your network administrator should be able to install SNIP and allow you access rights on any NT computer.
We use different interventions at our school.
You may add any interventions, assessments, or positions by simply opening (click on +) the Lookup Tables below the students’ names. Put the cursor on the branch to which you wish to add and right click, then select New. You may also keep any of the other types from showing in the drop down lists by selecting them and making them inactive (right click). You can only deactivate rather than delete items in the lookup tables. This is done so that if an item has been used for any student, then it will still be available.
I’m having trouble saving the interventions I added.
When a student's intervention is added, be sure to click on which terms in the year the intervention was received. This problem was resolved in SNIP version 3.0.0 or higher.
What if the dates are coming out wrong?
We have found that often it is the PC’s internal clock that is the culprit. To set the clock, just double click the time on the right of your task bar at the lower right side of your computer screen. The date or time can then be set.
Another problem may occur if the computer’s regional settings are set to the United States profile. This gives you the US date format of mm/dd/yy . If SNIP encounters this it will calculate an incorrect current year level. To set the correct regional settings:
- Start Button -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Regional Settings
- Select English (Australian) and press the OK button. You may have to reboot your computer.
SNIP version 3.0.0 or higher will prompt the user on start-up if the regional settings are other then English (Australian); versions prior to this will not.
What if the student’s current year level is incorrect?
The student’s current year level is a calculated field based on the Entry Year Level, Entry Date (when the information was entered into SNIP), Repeats since SNIP Entry and the computer’s current calendar date. Entry Year Level and Entry Date fields are filled out when you first enter the student’s information. Repeats since SNIP Entry is the number of times a student has repeated a year. If any of this information is incorrect, SNIP will calculate an incorrect current year level. In addition, if your PC’s date is set incorrectly it also will generate an incorrect current class level.
I’ve lost my registration disk.
Contact Coral C Software by phone,
, or fax. A new file can be sent to your email address electronically, or on disk. Please specify your SNIP license number (printed at the bottom of all SNIP reports) and school name.
I tried registering my new SNIP but I got an error message that said something about end of file being reached. Can I get a new Registration disk?
Contact Coral C Software and request a new Registration disk. This is a problem with the number of letters in your school name. SNIP version 3.0.0 or higher does not have this problem.
I’ve just registered SNIP, but receive an error message when trying to print a report.
Contact Coral C Software and request a new Registration disk. We must have put an apostrophe in your school name. The report generator will not allow apostrophes to be used in the school name.
What if I forget my password?
There is a backdoor password which was given to you when you received your registration disk. Please use this password to enter SNIP then, to maintain security, go to File – Change access password. Current password may be left blank. If you’ve lost the backdoor password please contact Coral C Software and have your SNIP license number and school name ready.
How do I change it to print in portrait format instead of in landscape?
Go to File – Printer setup – Properties – Features - Portrait – OK.
Can I change the font in the reports?
No. The fonts are fixed within the reports.
Backing Up Your SNIP Data
What if my computer crashes? How do I restore from my backups?
First you will have to reinstall SNIP on your computer and reregister SNIP. Then select File -> Recover from the main menu bar. You will be prompted to place the diskette with the backup of your SNIP database into the A: drive then click OK.
What if there isn’t enough room on a floppy disk to hold my data?
While information on over 500 students may be held on a diskette, it is best to keep the SNIP database on the school’s file server. As most file servers are backed up nightly this is the best way of operating SNIP. Fairly often we have found that not all information is being backed up on network file servers. Check with your IT administrator that this is being done. SNIP versions 2.1 and later can be kept on the file server.
Remember! Your SNIP data is very important to you. BACK IT UP!
Networking
How do I move the SNIP database to our file server?
By default, SNIP is installed on your local C: drive under the Program Files\Coral C Software\SNIP directory. First, backup your SNIP database just in case something goes wrong. Now copy the following files to a location on your school’s files server:
- SNIP.mdb (the actual SNIP database)
- *.rpt (all your report files)
Rename SNIP.mdb (on your local drive) to SNIPold.mdb (this forces the SNIP program to prompt you for the location of the missing database.
Run SNIP. You will be prompted for the location of the SNIP database. Use the file browser dialog box to locate SNIP.mdb, then click OK.
What do I do when I get the error message that says that the database can’t be found?
This happens when you have moved the SNIP database (snip.mdb) to some other location. SNIP will ask you if you want to locate the database. Click Yes and you will be presented with a file browser dialog box. Locate the SNIP database and you will be running again.
I’ve just moved the SNIP database to the file server, and now my reports don’t work.
The error message Invalid file name when attempting to view a report or the SNIP order form means that the SNIP report templates cannot be found. The SNIP report templates (SNIP files with a .rpt extension) must reside in the same location as the SNIP database. They must be moved together with the SNIP database (snip.mdb).
How do I add information to my SNIP Reader?
You may not change any information from a SNIP Reader. Contact the person in your school who maintains the information in SNIP. Only a full version of SNIP can edit or add information to the SNIP database.
Another SNIP user has updated SNIP, but I don’t see the changes.
Your copy of SNIP is not aware of the changes that have been made. Use the F5 key to refresh the information.
While updating student information, a message appeared indicating that another SNIP user is editing the same record. It asked if I want to overwrite the other changes or cancel mine.
This can happen if you have more than one full version of SNIP installed in your school. To avoid such conflicts, plan within your school which person is responsible for updating which information.
Version 3.0 and Support Plans
How do I upgrade from 2.10 to 3.0?
Contact Coral C Software by phone, fax, or
. Include the SNIP order form from the web site and your school Order number.
What changes are in the new version?
- View students by year level or alphabetically; view Active or Inactive students
- Support Plans may be developed for each appraised student.
- Intervention Type report now allows you to summarise students with each intervention type in any calendar year, as well as their year level, the terms of the intervention and the comments.
- Assessment Type is a new report that lists all students who have each type of assessment (with their year level, the date and comments)
How do I write a Support Plan for a student?
Open a student (click on the + before the name) to see the branches. Point the cursor on Support Plans and right click – New Support Plan. Then click on either Literacy or Numeracy. The goals from the Lookup tables will appear on the right. Select one (its number) and click on Add this goal; then its strategies will appear. You may do any editing and add any positions or names to the Person Responsible box at the bottom. When you’re finished with each goal, click on Save at the bottom. Continue the process with each goal. To preview the Support Plan, put the cursor on the Support Plan’s date, click, and select Print.
Can I modify a goal or strategy?
Yes. Open the Lookup Tables under the students by clicking on the +. Then open the Support Plan Definitions. You may make changes to or add to any of the Literacy or Numeracy goals or strategies in the database. You may change the numbering, but it would probably be less confusing for you if you keep the same numbers after you begin developing Support Plans.
How do I add my own goals and strategies? Can I copy and paste from a Word document?
Put the cursor on the Literacy area (in the Lookup Tables) and right click to add a new Literacy goal and strategies. You may type in your own text or copy and paste from other sources. It will work better if the source is in Plain text rather than Rich text as some formatting issues can arise after the pasting. There may be some different characters substituted which you may edit. Once the goals and strategies are in your Lookup Tables, they will remain there until you delete them.
Problems and Fixes
Maximizing the SNIP window causes entry fields to display partially off the window.
This is caused by a conflict with specific display drivers. It can be fixed by downloading the latest display drivers for your video card. Manufacturers are constantly updating their device drivers to fix bugs and make improvements, so it is useful to do this for a number of reasons. To find out the display driver you need, in the Control Panel (Start/Settings/Control Panel), click on System, then click on the Device Manager tab. Double-click on Display adapters and note the specific name of the display adapter. To download an updated display adapter, either check out the manufacturer's website, or go to www.driverguide.com and search there. In most cases, a program is downloaded and run to automatically update the display drivers.
The message Registry Error displays when starting SNIP.
You must have full access privileges for the windows registry when using SNIP. Check with your network administrator to ensure the proper privileges are set.
The date in the Assessment Type report is in USA (month/day/year) format.
This is a problem in SNIP version 3.01 and earlier. To fix the problem:
- Download the updated Assessment Type report file, which is called R Assessment Type.exe. click here to download
- Exit from SNIP, then copy the downloaded file to the computer where SNIP is installed.
- Double-click the downloaded file to run it. It is a self-extracting file that automatically copies the Assessment Type report to the folder where SNIP is installed (C:\Program Files\Coral C Software\SNIP)
You can then start SNIP and take a look at the Assessment Type report. If the file has been copied correctly, the date should now be in Australian format.
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