Is SPELL – 2 compatible with OSX?
Cross-Platform
How do I transfer my student data files from the original version of SPELL to SPELL – 2?
Student data collected with SPELL v1.x can not be transferred to SPELL – 2. Before returning the SPELL v1.x CD to us, finish testing
any students who have already begun the SPELL – 2 assessment, and print hard copies of all student reports you wish to save, as you will
no longer be able to access those student data files and reports once you return the SPELL v1.x CD.
Why does the audio skip and stutter when I run the SPELL – 2 program? Do I have a
defective CD?
To determine if you have a defective CD, please install and run the
SPELL – 2 program on another computer.
If you experience the same audio problems on a different computer, return the CD
to us for replacement.
If the audio problems can not be replicated on a different computer, then
the problem is specific to your computer.
1. Check that your computer specs, especially your CD-ROM speed and
processor speed, meet the minimum system requirements for SPELL – 2.
2. Check that you have the most current audio drivers for whatever audio
sound card your computer is using.
3. Run the defragmentation utility to defrag your hard drive.
If you are unable to resolve the audio problems, please contact the manufacturer
of your computer.
I can view the student reports on screen but why can't I close or print a report once I've opened it
for viewing?
If you are unable to view the "Print" and "Close" buttons in the lower right-hand corner of a report once it is displayed on-screen,
you need to adjust your monitor resolution.
In Windows, from the Start menu, select Control Panel, Display: Settings and select 800 x
600 display resolution. Click Apply.
On a Macintosh, from the apple menu, select Control Panel and choose Monitor to select 800 x 600
display resolution.
Can I administer SPELL – 2 without the use of headphones?
The use of headphones for administration of SPELL – 2 is highly recommended to maximize validity of test results.
What type of headphones is recommended for use with SPELL – 2?
The headphones commonly used for portable audio devices are appropriate for use with SPELL – 2.
Why does the order of presentation of the Selector Module items vary from student to student?
The starting item number for the Selector Module is determined by the individual student's grade and spelling grade level as entered
by the examiner on the Student Information Form.
The specific test items and the order of the test items presented to the student in
the Selector Module are determined by the individual student's performance in the Selector Module.
The Selector Module presents the
items in the order necessary to establish a basal and then a ceiling for the individual student and discontinues the Selector Module
once a ceiling has been established.
How do I know which level of the Main Test Module has been selected for administration to the individual student?
The level of the Main Test Module selected by SPELL – 2 for administration to an individual student is indicated in the lower right corner
of the student information displayed when student begins and resumes testing in the Main Test Module.
Next Module: Main Test (L1)
denotes Level 1; (L2) denotes Level 2, and so on.
After the student has finished spelling the first 20 words of the Main Test Module,
SPELL – 2 automatically checks for a minimum spelling accuracy level for selected spelling patterns.
If the student does not meet the
minimal criterion set by the program, SPELL – 2 will automatically and seamlessly drop to the next lowest level of the Main Test Module.
Why does the test item number in the lower left corner of the screen not always correspond to the item number in lists of words for the Selector or Main Test Module contained in the Appendices?
Because the test item counter in the lower left corner of the screen reflects the number of items completed by the student, there is
not always a direct correspondence between the counter number and test item number found in the list of words.
This is because the
starting test item number for the Selector Module is determined by the student's grade and/or spelling grade level and not all
students will need to complete all 40 items in the Selector Module.
Also, a word previously completed in the Selector Module will
not be presented again in the Main Test Module.
The examiner can use the number that appears in the lower left corner of the screen
to gauge the approximate number of items remaining to be completed in the Main Test Module.
Why can't I select and print a report for my student?
A student's reports can be printed only after the student has completed the entire SPELL – 2 assessment.
If you highlight a student's name
on the Management Tools page and the "Select A Report…" option is grayed out, go to Resume Testing to complete the SPELL – 2 assessment
for the student.
After I finish testing a student, why can't I locate the student's name under Resume Testing?
Once a student has completed the SPELL – 2 assessment, his or her name is removed from the list of students displayed under
the Resume Testing folder tab.
For students who have completed SPELL – 2, you may access their records under the Management Tools folder
tab.
Where can I find the electronic versions of Appendix B and Appendix C?
These files are located on the SPELL – 2 CD-ROM. From your desktop, open the directory for your CD-ROM drive, and locate
the Handouts folder. Appendices B and C are inside this folder.
How can I export the student reports as an electronic file?
All SPELL – 2 reports are saved and accessed within the SPELL – 2 program. You can export SPELL – 2 reports in PDF
format if you have Adobe Acrobat Write - available for purchase from www.adobe.com - installed
on your computer.
To print any of the SPELL – 2 reports to a PDF file, simply follow these steps:
1. From the Management Tools screen, use the "Select A Report" drop down
menu to select the report you wish to print.
2. Click on the View/Print button to view the selected report on your
computer screen.
3. Click on the Print button.
4. When the Print Dialogue box opens, select Adobe PDF Writer as your
printer.
Why does it take a long time to open a student record?
The amount of time it takes to open a record is determined by your computer's specifications. If accessing student records
is a sluggish process, we recommend that you use Management Tools to periodically purge old student records from the student list.
Be sure to
print and save hard copies of the student's reports before purging the student's data record, as the student's data will be
permanently deleted from the SPELL – 2 program.
Does SPELL – 2 accept spellings that contain characters other than the letters of the alphabet?
The SPELL – 2 program will accept keyboard input of the 26 letters of the alphabet and apostrophes, hyphens, and periods.
Although none of the target words in SPELL – 2 contains apostrophes, hyphens, or periods, these characters are allowed since they are
sometimes used to spell words, as is the case for contractions, possessives, compound words, and abbreviations. SPELL – 2 does not include
apostrophes, hyphens, or periods in its analysis of the student's spellings.
The program lists the words in which these characters appear
on the student's report. The examiner is encouraged to review the list of words for a specific pattern of misuse that may need to be
addressed.
When I attempt to install SPELL – 2, I get an error with a message that
indicates the installer is looking for another Setup disk. (Note: The installer
may present a dialog asking for the location of this disk.)
This error occurs if the installer is unable to read the CD-ROM due to
a dirty, damaged or faulty disk.
First, clean the CD with a commercial cleaner and try again.
If this solution does not resolve the problem,
please contact a Technical Support representative at Learning By Design for a replacement disk. Your SPELL – 2 CD will be replaced in
accordance with Our Return Policy printed on your invoice or sales receipt.
When I launch SPELL – 2, I get an error with a message: "The file {a
filename} is not a Director file..."
This error occurs if SPELL – 2 cannot read the CD-ROM. There are several reasons why this may happen: The CD may not lie correctly in the CD-ROM drive bay, the CD
may be defective, or the problem may be with the CD-ROM drive itself.
1. If you were able to install SPELL – 2, your CD probably is incorrectly
inserted in your CD-ROM drive; remove and re-insert the CD in the CD-ROM drive and re-launch SPELL – 2.
2. If removing and re-inserting the CD fails, try the SPELL – 2 CD on another machine. If you can launch SPELL – 2 on another machine,
the problem is probably with your CD-ROM drive or CD-ROM software drivers; contact the manufacturer of your CD-ROM drive.
3. If you cannot launch SPELL – 2 on another machine, please contact a Technical Support representative at Learning By Design
for a replacement disk. Your SPELL – 2 CD will be replaced in accordance with Our Return Policy printed on your invoice or sales receipt.
Windows
The SPELL – 2 program is not saving my students' data. Why is this happening?
Your user account on your computer may not have write privileges to the SPELL – 2 Data directory on the hard drive and
therefore the SPELL – 2 program cannot write to that directory in order to save the student data. This can occur on Windows 2000,
Windows XP and networked systems.
If you are using Windows 2000, Windows XP or working on a network system, ask your IT
administrator if SPELL – 2 was installed under an administrator account but run under a guest account.
So, if this is the reason
the student data was not saved. You need to either
1: Run SPELL – 2 under an administrator account or
2.Set up the user account
with write access to the SPELL – 2 Data directory on the hard drive.
For assistance with setting up user accounts and user
access, please consult your Operating System User Manual, or contact the manufacturer of your
computer.
What are the minimum system requirements on a Windows system for SPELL – 2?
For Windows 2000/XP (XP recommended)
Pentium II, 233 MHz or higher
64 MB RAM (128 MB recommended)
10 MB free hard disk space
16-bit color monitor
Windows-compatible sound card
4x CD-ROM drive
How can I use another application without exiting the SPELL – 2 program?
Use the following procedure:
1. Click the Management Tools tab
in the Main Menu. (The password dialog box will be
displayed.)
2. Type "#exit" (i.e., the pound sign + the word 'exit') into the dialog box and click OK. (The dialog box will display "Command Accepted.")
3. Type your password into the dialog box and click OK.
4. While in the SPELL – 2 program, use Alt+Tab to toggle between open programs or Alt-F4 to quit SPELL – 2.
5. To turn this feature off, simply follow Steps 1 and 2 above.
Why doesn't sound play and why is the animation
jerky during some of "Fiona" or "Quinn" animations?
The problem most likely is with DirectSound Audio,
a DirectX component.
The Windows DirectX Diagnostics tool will tell you
what version of DirectX is installed on your computer
and test whether it is properly configured.
To open the DirectX Diagnostics tool:
1. Click “Start…Run”
to open a command window.
2. Enter “dxdiag”
(or “dxdiag.exe”) in the “Open:”
input box.
3. Click “OK”; DirectX
Diagnostics will open and run.
4. Follow instructions in DirectX
diagnostics to test your configuration.
If you get the error message “Cannot find
the file ‘dxdiag’ (or one of its components)…”
it means that DirectX is missing or the version
installed on your computer is earlier than 5.0.
In either case, you must install (or upgrade) DirectX.
SPELL – 2 works best with version 7.0 or later.
You may download the latest version of DirectX
from the Microsoft Corporation web site.
Click here for
more information about DirectX and the DirectX Diagnostics tool.
Why is the right side
of my printed report cutoff, or why won't my printed
report fit onto the page?
You have selected an incorrect paper size for your
page setup.
Use the following procedure to correct this problem:
1. Click the "Print" button in the SPELL – 2 Print Preview window; a page setup dialog will appear.
2. Click "Properties" to open the properties
dialog.
3. Click “Advanced” to open the advanced
options dialog.
4. Within the “Paper/Output”
option, select “Letter” or “Paper
Size”.
5. Click “OK” to close the advanced
options dialog.
6. Click “OK” to close the properties
dialog.
7. Click “OK” to print your report,
“Cancel” to close the page setup dialog.
(Note: The appearance and labeling of options in
the advanced options dialog may vary depending upon
your printer driver.)
Why do my reports automatically
print in Landscape mode?
Your printer default may be set to "Landscape".
Use the following procedure to correct this problem
(Note: The exact sequence may differ from machine
to machine.)
1. Click the Start button.
2. Select Settings...Printers.
3. Right-click the printer you
normally use.
4. Select “Printing preferences…”
5. Click the “Layout”
tab if is not already selected.
6. Select the "Portrait"
radio button in Orientation.
7. Click “OK”
Why does SPELL – 2 sometimes
crash when I try to print a document?
You are selecting a printer that is not online, or
a "phantom" printer that is found in your
network printer folder, but, in fact, does not exist
on your network.
Use the following procedure to check if this is
the case:
1. Click the Start button.
2. Select Settings…Printers.
3. Double-click on a printer icon
to check the status of a printer. The window that
opens will indicate if the printer is NOT found
on your network and if you do NOT have access privileges.
4. Alternatively, in the Printers
window, right-click a printer icon.
5. Select Properties. If the icon
is that of a printer that doesn’t exist on
the network, an error message will inform you of
that fact.
6. If the properties dialog opens,
click the Security tab.
7. Check the “Permissions”
window. The “Print…Allow” checkbox
must be checked if you are to have permission to
print your document.
When you return to SPELL – 2 to print a document, select
a printer in the page setup dialog that you know
is online and to which you have access
When spelling words, my student holds down the letter keys for an extended period of time. How can I prevent the repetition of letter input that sometimes occurs even though the student presses a letter key only once?
This problem can be resolved through Accessibility Options. Use the following procedure:
1. Click on the Start Button
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select Accessibility Options
4. Select the Keyboard tab
5. Turn on the FilterKeys option
Macintosh
What are the minimum system requirements on a Macintosh system for SPELL – 2?
MacOS 9.0 or higher (OSX recommended)
Power PC 250 Mhz processor or higher (G3 recommended)
24 MB available memory (32 MB recommended)
10 MB free hard disk space
16-bit color monitor
4x CD-ROM drive
How can I use another application without exiting the SPELL – 2 program?
Use the following procedure:
1. Use Command+Tab to display the Finder Menu.
2. From the drop-down menu, select the open application you wish to use.
When I install SPELL – 2 I get an error: "The software to be installed requires 64 MB total machine memory (RAM) which this computer does not have."
The installer is indicating that it has detected less than 64MB RAM on your machine. We recommend at least 64MB to run the SPELL – 2
application even though it may run satisfactorily with 32MB.
This error message is for your information only. Click 'Continue' to
complete the SPELL – 2 installation.
Will SPELL – 2 run on my E-Mac?
Yes. The E-Mac exceeds the minimum technical requirements for running the
SPELL – 2 program.
Is SPELL – 2 compatible with OSX?
Yes, SPELL – 2 program is compatible with Native OSX.
