HOWTOs: Electronic Rollbook (ERB)

Electronic Rollbook FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for the LAUSD Electronic Rollbook (ERB) program are posted below. The latest version was released in March 1999 and supports Mac OS 7/8 and Windows 95/98.. ERB has not been tested on Mac OS X but seems compliant with Windows XP Pro edition. Windows XP Home edition may cause problems. ERB is installed on every teacher Windows PC at Jefferson. The latest installations include three versions, one for each track. Copies of the ERB are also stored in the library on a PC Macs and all Windows computers. You can make your own copy by duplicating the software (include all the files) onto one 3.5 floppy. Copies of the new Mac and Windows manuals have been distributed to Department Chairs. Please photocopy as needed for your department. This page is intended to support Jefferson H.S. teachers in their use of the ERB software. We will hold regular user-group meetings for ERB users so that teachers can share their questions, solutions, tips and suggestions.

Why use ERB?

Like a spreadsheet, ERB can add up points and calculate grades. ERB also adds up and reports attendance. There are an additional 32 comments included, plus you can write your own custom comments for each student. You can also use the comment section to document student incidents. ERB also includes some student test scores and CUM information. You can use ERB to create seating charts and track student textbooks and other supplies. No bubbling is required when using ERB. An official printout is only required at the end of the mester and final grades must be verified. During other grading periods all you turn in to the Attendance Office is your SIS grade report on a floppy disk. Other programs can calculate grades, and some will bubble, but ERB was the first program accepted by LAUSD that does both.

Getting Started Basics

Since ERB is already installed on every class room teacher computer (including P.E.) all teachers can start using ERB the first week of classes.

Take a blank floppy to the Attendance Office and request that your classes and students be copied onto the disk.
When you start ERB on the class room computer, ERB will ask for the class information. If you see other classes still installed in ERB from the previous teacher, fill out a repair form report so we can remove those students and you can start fresh with your classes.
If you are a B track teacher use the ERB version set aside just for B track.
Input all your class data from the floppy into ERB. Make sure that the A drive is listed (not the C drive) in the lower right corner of the upload screen.
You will be prompted to create your own password for your classes to protect your grading information.
Read the suggestions below regarding setting up each class grading system. We suggest NOT using the default grading setup, Average Percent, and selecting instead Cumulative Points. Do this first before you enter any assignments or grades. Go to Navigator> Setup/Maintenance> Utilities> Q/F Mark Computation Method. Deselect "Average Percent Method (Default)" and check the button for "Cumulative Points".
When new students arrive in your class, make sure the counselor or Attendance Office included their 4 digit ID number so you can add the student in ERB. That number is usually on the student program card too.
For every 4 week grading period create an SIS grade report on a floppy and turn that into the Attendance Office in place of the class bubble sheets. You don't use the bubble sheets.
See suggestions below on how to report grades to students and parents every grading period.
At the end of the mester create your final SIS grade report on a floppy and turn it into the Attendance Office. Verify you grades from the A.O. report/printout. Print out your official class reports for the Counseling Office, and Archive the students onto a floppy and remove them from the computer so the next teacher can use ERB in that class room. Take the archive floppy home for safe keeping, in case you need to report grades again (you already turned in the final mester grade floppy to the A.O.)

[ Setting up your classes | Windows FAQs | Mac FAQs ]
Submit a question regarding the ERB.

Suggestions on How to Set Up your Classes Using ERB

By D. Collins (First you must setup each class separately for grades and attendance. There is no one-time setup feature for all the classes. So repeat the following setup for each class and/or period. )

Grading Method --For the initial Rollbook setup, use Rollbook Setup/Maintenance-->Methods-->Cumulative Points, if you want to enter point totals per assignment. The default method is Average Percent Method. If you use the Percent method, you have to weigh each assignment and must stick to a plan for the grading period points and weight structure. In the Cumulative Points method, you assign a percent range for each letter grade to be assigned at the grading periods. So many teachers who use a percent grading system should actually choose the Cumulative Points set up. Select Navigator> Setup/Maintenance> Utilities> Q/F Mark Computing Method> Cumulative Points (not the default, Average Percent Method).
Assignments --Use "0" zero for assignments not handed in. Don't just leave the entry blank for that assignment. For assignments not counted or late, use "000". The later would be used for students entering late into your class, or for times that you don't want some assignments counted.
Define the Semester and Define the Grading Periods. --Select Navigator> Quarter/Final Summary> Quarter/Final Marks> Define Quarter/Final Dates. Fill in the start and end dates for each quarter.
Absent/Tardy Setup --Select Navigator> setup/Maintenance> Utilities> Absent/Tardy Counting Method. For Absent and Tardy setup, select #2 (U012345C) in the setup for each class. If you selected #1 as the absent format, for example, any field trip or activity that the student attends will be counted as an absent in the grading report.
Define the Grade Cutoff. --Select Navigator> Quarter/Final Summary> Quarter/Final Marks> Define Grade Cutoffs
Enter the percent for Grades A,B,C,D for each quarter. For example A=90, B=80, C=70, etc. Usually the same percents are used across all quarters.
Taking Attendance --Most of the time, set up a seating chart and take attendance through the seating chart, not through the class list. Students are automatically marked present in the seating chart mode. Absent students show a flashing flag.
Adding Printers --The new Windows and Mac OS versions of ERB support many printers. The DOS version of ERB only supported a few. To add a printer you need to go to the directory for ERB on the hard drive and select the printer setup file. You will need three numbers from the printer manufacturer; Printer name (22 characters), condensed string (30 characters), Regular string (30 characters).
Comments --Check out the expanded Comments selection in ERB. There are over 64 comment selections! For a blank comment, use 67. You don't have to add a comment. You can also write in your own custom comments.
Make sure you back-up your student ERB data on a floppy daily. Don't use the same floppy over and over every day. When that one disk fails, you are in trouble. Floppys are cheap, your time is expensive. Use one floppy for Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and another for Tuesday and Thursday. Better yet, designate five floppys for each weekday so that the first is used only on Mondays, the second only on Tuesdays, etc. And use a different floppy for monthly back-ups. When you close ERB every day, it will ask you if you want to do a back-up and an daily attendance back. Select Yes and use the appropriate floppy. Keep a back-up floppy at home too for more insurance. The more insurance (back-ups) you have the better.

Don't use "Archive" to back up ERB data. Archive clears out all the class and student information. Only use Archive at the end of the mester after you have completed your final SIS grading report and printed out your official grading report. The next teacher coming into your class room can not use ERB unless you have removed your classes by Archiving them to a floppy. Take the Archive floppy home for safe keeping.

[ Windows FAQs | Mac FAQs ]

Windows Version of ERB

How do you start ERB for Windows? ERB is preinstalled on all school Windows PCs. Double-click on ERB icon on the desktop for your track. Or go to Start> Programs> erb and select the correct track.
Setting up Multiple Rollbook Users on One Computer: On school computers there is a version for A,B and C track. Use the correct version for your track.
How can I use ERB on my home Windows PC? Create an email message to yourself from a school Windows PC and send an attachment of ERB to yourself. The ERB install file is located on the T drive of the school PCs. Open the message at home. Create a folder called ERB in your programs folder. Download and save ERB (about 500kb) into your ERB folder. Rename
The Student Names do not line up with the Roll Numbers: Make sure you have selected the proper display settings. Select Display Properties > Settings > Font size > select Small Fonts. If small fonts is not an option, you may have to check other Display settings. Try a Desktop Area setting of 1024 x 768 and 16 bit colors. Then see if Small Fonts is available in Advanced. Windows XP Home Edition sometimes has problems with display.
How can I export ERB to an Excel spreadsheet? If you what to view the data files in Excel, you just have to know the class four digit number. For example, std0334 would be the students in your first period course. Then open the file in Excel. I have not used Excel for the grade calculations so I don't know how it works. But it works great for generating specialized rosters for field trips.
Printing Problems: Several users of ERB have reported problems with different printers. If you have experienced a problem with a printer model, or can recommend a printer model, please let us know. The HP LaserJet, Lexmark laser, and Okidata printers work well.
How Should B track teachers report mid-mester days when they are off track? Enter Zs into those two months when classes did not meet.
How do I enter a student without a 4-digit school code? If a student enters you class late without a school four digit code, you can create a dummy code until you get the correct code from either the counselor or the attendance office. Don't forget, because later in the mester you will not be able to report the student grade to SIS without the correct code.
What is the difference between these three floppy disk reports: the Restore or backup, the Archive and the SIS report? The restore or backup floppy is the most useful to the teacher since it is the only one that can be used to reinstall all your ERB data onto another PC if your PC should crash. You should make a restore floppy every day onto a differenct floppy. The Archive floppy removes the students and data from a version of erb so that the next incoming teacher can start their own classes. It can not restore erb data as far as we know. The SIS report floppy formats thte grading information so that it can be uploaded onto the SIS server and report grades. It can not restore your erb data from the WMR95.DAT file. But you can at least recreate the grades from that report.
Administrative Read-Only Review of Rollbook: Any school official requiring review of the Rollbook data can access it by choosing the class from the Security Screen and typing the password consisting of the 4-digit school number plus the 4-digit class number. This read-only password will not let the user modify or print any data, nor allow access to the Setup/Maintenance or Reports screens.
How do I Delete a Student?: Go to Utilities and select the student and delete.
How do I remove a Student Mark or Attendance Record?: Highlight the student mark or attendance record and then press <Delete> or <space> on the keyboard.
Accessing ID File of Passwords: When SIS data disks are prepared for ERB, an 8-digit random character string is assigned to each class for use as an emergency password. When a teacher forgets his/her ERB password(s), type "ID96P" at the SIS menu and supply the program with the class number. The 8-digit random password appears on the screen, which you can give to the teacher. After the teacher stars ERB with the random password, he/she should got to the Setup/Maintenance Screen and chose "Password Maintenance" to view the passwords he/she was using before.
Using Comments: Select Navigator> Comments. Select the student and double click the lower right-hand comment window. 71 comments are available. You can type in your own comments in the window above. You can also use comments as a form of ongoing documentation for a students.
How do I document when a student leaves the class? Once you enter an L (for left) in ERB for a student, you will be prompted to input the date and destination. You can also record miscellaneous comments in the unrestricted comments section. This is a good place to record and document discipline problems with a student.
How do I print attendance and marks every four weeks, or for parent night?: Either print out a copy as if it is the end of the year, or use the report feature. The report feature is already in the DOS, Windows, and Mac versions. Go to "Reports" in the Navigator, select "Student Demographics" from the Reports menu, check off the options you want to see, then select the student (if you didn't want the report for the whole class). The teacher can print attendance marks, assignment/exam marks, comments, demographic info, and the overall letter grade for the class.
There is also an option to capture the screen and print it out. Use the ALT + Print Screen keys with the ERB window maximized. This will copy only the active ERB window to the clipboard. Open MS Word or OpenOffice and paste ( Control + V) the captured image into the word processing document. If you have over 32 students you will have to copy and paste three screens onto a blank wp file since only 16 students can be displayed in the ERB window at a time. Do this for each class/period. Type a short line of text between screens to identify the class period as you paste the screen shots into the new wp file.
Reporting the Quarter Grades (4 week) to SIS onto a floppy: You will need another blank floppy (not your backup disk and not the disk you originally loaded the classes from). Since this is a Report, start by selecting Navigator> Reports> Create Quarter/Final Marks for SIS or Setup> Utilities> Create Q/F Disk for SIS. The file created on the floppy should be WMR95.DAT.
- Are you sure you want to create Quarter/Final Marks for SIS?
  Select YES and insert a DOS formatted floppy (not the floppy that you use for back-ups.
- Select each class period for the report. Use the Shift key to select all you classes.
- Then you will select the correct Quarter for the report to SIS. Four quarters are listed for your selection. (Make sure that you defined the correct dates for the grading Quarters in your class setup).
- Some errors may be reported for individual students, especially if you did not enter a comment for that student. Continue anyway if the student record is correct. The report to SIS will still be created. Turn this floppy into the Attendance Office (Computer Room) with your name on it. For the 16 week you must print out a final and complete copy of your roll book. The file created on the floppy should be WMR95.DAT.
- Select Navigator> Reports> Final Rollbook & Certification
  or
  Setup> Utilities> Print Final Rollbook
- Select Print> All Classes
- Include> check all three boxes.
- Type in your department name
Uploading Marks to SIS on the Attendance Office server: To upload quarter/final report card marks to SIS from a disk created by ERB, type "MR95" at the SIS menu and follow the instructions on the screen.

Uploading Attendance to SIS: To upload daily attendance marks to SIS from a disk created by ERB, type "AT95" at the SIS menu and follow the instructions on the screen.
Uploading Attendance to SIS without a Floppy Drive: You can use the command line and the subst command to send the ERB output to a file over the network.

Marks Computation Method: Navigator> Setup/Maintenance> Utilities> Q/F Mark Computing Method> Cumulative Points (not the default, Average Percent Method).

Input each exam: Navigator> Marks> Marks> Exam/Assignment Setup

Designate the Assignment
Date:
Name:
Type: Homework, exam, report, essay, quiz, etc.
Column Heading: How it will be labeled
Weight: Usually 1 if using cumulative points
Mark Range: letters (A-F) or points (0-10, 0-100, or you decide the possible points)
Extra Credit: yes/no
OK

For Parent Night use either
Navigator> Marks> (includes assignment scores)
or
Navigator> Quarter/Final summary (includes grade, absent, tardy, work habits, cooperation, comments.
or
Print Screen command to WP as described above.

Attendance
Navigator> Seating Chart> Seating Chart> Mark Attendance

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Mac OS Version of ERB (Upgrade to v1.0.7a)

What are the Mac System Requirements? Macintosh Plus or newer, System 6.0.8. OS or newer, Apple SuperDrive for reading DOS formatted SIS data disks, 4 MB free HD space, 2 MB RAM, ImageWriter or LaserWriter printer
What version of Mac ERB am I using? The patched program is "ERB/Mac 1.0.7a". If the icon is "ERB/Mac 1.0.7" without the "a", it is the older version and should be replaced with the newer version on the Library Macs. The patched program has a creation date of 3/31/99; the older one is dated 12/14/98.
Administrative Read-Only Review of Rollbook: Any school official requiring review of the Rollbook data can access it by choosing the class from the Security Screen and typing the password consisting of the 4-digit school number plus the 4-digit class number. This read-only password will not let the user modify or print any data, nor allow access to the Setup/Maintenance or Reports screens.
Setting up Multiple Rollbook Users on One Computer: When more than one teacher has to use the ERB on one computer, create a folder for each teacher named "RBXXX", where "XXX" is the teacher's initials. Next, open the folder and install ERB normally.
Accessing ID File of Passwords: When SIS data disks are prepared for ERB, an 8-digit random character string is assigned to each class for use as an emergency password. When a teacher forgets his/her ERB password(s), type "ID96P" at the SIS menu and supply the program with the class number. The 8-digit random password appears on the screen, which you can give to the teacher. After the teacher stars ERB with the random password, he/she should go to the Setup/Maintenance Screen and chose "Password Maintenance" to view the passwords he/she was using before. (Appendix C)
How do I remove a Student Mark or Attendance Record?: Highlight the student mark or attendance record and then press <Delete> or <space> on the keyboard.
Uploading Marks to SIS: To upload quarter/final report card marks to SIS from a disk created by ERB for Mac OS, type "MR95" at the SIS menu and follow the instructions on the screen. Make sure your disk for this report has been formatted for DOS, not Mac. Then copy the report file onto this disk to be read by the SIS system. (Appendix C)
Alternate method: Select create SIS report from Report menu. Insert a Mac formatted floppy and create SIS report on that floppy. When the report is being processed you will be asked to correct any problems with student records. Please do so at this time. If the record is correct, just skip it. The file should be "MR95". Then copy that file onto the HD. Now insert a DOS formatted floppy, and copy the "MR95" file back onto the DOS floppy. Turn the DOS floppy into SIS to report your grades.

Some other suggestions include:

Format the floppy on a PC and try the process on a different Mac.
Make sure the disk is a 1.44MB high density floppy disk.
Make sure the appropriate inits and control panels are loaded for reading PC disks. Make sure there are no duplicates from earlier OS versions (named differently).
Some anti-virus software may interfere with the disk mounting process, although I have not come across any yet. Try temporarily disabling it.
Try disabling any non-essential inits and control panels (except the ones for PC disk access). Be on the lookout for any inits and control panels with an "older" date; these may conflict. If this Mac is in an open area, be careful since anyone can load just about anything on to it.
What version of the operating system is on that Mac? There will be problems with OS 7.6 and newer, since the newer OS maintains the hidden Desktop files differently than 7.5, and ERB will say the disk is not blank. The new patched ERB program (v1.0.7a) will allow up to 20 files (hidden and visible) on a disk before rejecting it as a workaround.
Write-protect a PC disk with files on it and see if the Mac can see anything on it.

Uploading Attendance to SIS: To upload daily attendance marks to SIS from a disk created by ERB, type "AT95" at the SIS menu and follow the instructions on the screen. Make sure your disk for this report has been formatted for DOS, not Mac. Then copy the report file onto this disk to be read by the SIS system.
Alternate method: Select create SIS report from Report menu. Insert a Mac formatted floppy and create SIS report on that floppy. When the report is being processed you will be asked to correct any problems with student records. Please do so at this time. If the record is correct, just skip it.
The file should be "WMR95". Then copy that file onto the HD. Now insert a DOS formatted floppy, and copy the "WMR95" file back onto the DOS floppy. Turn the DOS floppy into SIS to report your grades.
Accessing HELP: To obtain HELP while in any screen, select "HELP" from the pull-down menu at the top. A brief summary of each function covered in the manual will appear on your screen.(Manual)
What Printers does the Mac OS version support? According the Appendix C, the ImageWriter or LaserWriter printers. If you get the ERB to work on another printer, please let us know.
How do I delete a Grade or Attendance mark? There is no general undo feature. You have to select each student and delete specific grades or attendance marks. Use the <Delete> or <Space> key.
How to I Delete an entire Assignment? Enter 000 (zeros for point grades) or xxx (for letter grades).
Will ERB Automatically Mark each Student Present so that I can Only Change the Absent Ones? Take roll through the seating chart to automatically mark students present by default. See Setup above.
How do I document when a student leaves the class? Once you enter an L (for left) in ERB for a student, you will be prompted to input the date and destination. You can also record miscellaneous comments in the unrestricted comments section. This is a good place to record and document discipline problems with a student.
How do I print attendance and marks every four weeks, or for parent night? Either print out a copy as if it is the end of the year, or use the report feature. The report feature is already in the DOS, Windows, and Mac versions. Go to "Reports" in the Navigator, select "Student Demographics" from the Reports menu, check off the options you want to see, then select the student (if you didn't want the report for the whole class). The teacher can print attendance marks, assignment/exam marks, comments, demographic info, and the overall letter grade for the class. There is also an option to view on the screen or print.
How can I export ERB to an Excel spreadsheet? If you what to view the data files in Excel, you just have to know the class four digit number. For example, std0334 would be the students in your first period course. Then open the file in Excel. I have not used Excel for the grade calculations so I don't know how it works. But it works great for generating specialized rosters for field trips.
Can you archive (save old class lists) to the hard drive? No. This feature is not supported in ERB. The Archive Class(es) function in the Setup/Maintenance screen should copy the class data to disk and purge it from the hard disk for all classes selected. If that is not working, there might be something wrong with the floppy disk (maybe PC formatted?) or the hard disk.

Another trick you can try is to rename the folder that ERB is in (ex. Spring 1999), create a new folder (ex. Fall 1999), and drag or copy the ERB program icon to the new folder. This will keep the data separate and prevent having to reinstall from scratch.

Must you archive to a Mac formatted floppy? You can archive to both PC and Mac formatted floppies. However, if there are driver/extension conflicts, the Mac may not be able to read/write to a PC formatted floppy. Archiving to the hard disk is not supported in the program.

Here is a workaround:

Rename the current folder that ERB/Mac resides in (ex. Spring 1999). If ERB/Mac is not already in a folder, create one, and drag the program icon and "RollBook/Mac Data Folder" into the new folder.
Create a new folder (ex. Fall 1999) outside of the Spring 1999 folder.
Drag the ERB/Mac program icon to the new folder.
Start ERB/Mac, and set up classes.
If the user needs to access Spring 1999, copy or drag the ERB/Mac program icon to that folder, then double-click on it. The program will use class data in the "RollBook/Mac Data Folder" at the same level as the
program icon.

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