ASCENDER Parent Portal Admin > Form Management > Custom Forms > Create Custom Form

Step 1

If selecting English and Spanish for Language, the English version will be created first. To translate into a Spanish version, use Custom Forms > Edit Custom Forms.

Form Properties:

❏ Add the form.

Custom Forms Step 1

Form NameType a name for the form, using up to 50 characters. For a Spanish form, provide the name in Spanish.
Form Descriptions/InstructionsType any specific district-level instructions for the form, using up to 500 characters. For a Spanish form, provide the instructions in Spanish.
Campus(Required) Select a campus in order to assign the form to a specific campus. Or, select All Campuses if the form is used for all campuses in the district.

If you select All Campuses, each campus is listed, and you can remove individual campuses if needed.

Campus selection field

NOTE: If you select All Campus by mistake, click Cancel All to clear all campuses at once.

LanguageSelect the language of the form.

If you need the form in both English and Spanish (now or in the future), select English and Spanish. This creates a duplicate of the English form that can later be translated into Spanish on Custom Forms > Edit Custom Forms.

WARNING: Once the language option is selected, it cannot be changed.



Custom Form language drop-down field


❏ Click Next.


Step 2

Question Format Types:

Custom Forms Step 2

❏ You can add a variety of elements to your form.

The following two options allow you to provide headings and instructions on the form.

HeaderSelect to add a heading, up to 50 characters.

Example:
Example of header
ParagraphSelect to provide one or more sentences in the form, such as instructions, up to 1000 characters.

Example:
Example of paragraph



The following question format types refer to the answer you are soliciting from the parent.

Date FieldThe parent will be asked to type a date or select a date from a calendar widget.

Example:
Example of date
Number FieldThe parent will be asked to enter a number, such as a phone number, street number, or quantity.

Example:
Example of number
Radio buttonThe parent will be asked to select one of several options (multiple choice, one answer).

Example:
Example of radio group
Dropdown-Multiple ChoiceThe parent will be asked to select an option from a drop-down list (one or multiple selections).

Example:
Example of section
Text FieldThe parent will be asked to enter a few words or less. You can specify the maximum number of characters the parent can enter.

Example:
Example of text
Text AreaThe parent will be asked to enter a text response that may require more then a few words. You can specify the maximum number of characters the parent can enter.

Example:
Example of text area


All question format types allow the following properties to be set:

NOTE: For Spanish forms, provide this information in Spanish.

TIP: Be sure to add questions to the custom form that help identify the student that the information is being gathered for (e.g., What is your student’s first name? What is your student’s last name? Grade Level? What school does your child attend? (multiple choice)). The form results do not automatically provide default information such as first name, last name, grade level, campus.


RequiredSelect if parents are required to answer this question.
LabelType the question as you want it to appear in ParentPortal.

NOTE: Labels should be different for each field on individual forms. This text is for internal use when viewing custom form data.
Tool TipType further instructions for the question if needed. This will be displayed when a parent hovers over a question mark icon question mark icon next to the field.
Placeholder TextType any text that you want to appear in the field, such as a sample answer or guidance. For example, in an email field, you may type name@email.com. The parent's actual answer will overwrite any placeholder text. For Date Field, the placeholder text is always mm/dd/yyyy.



The following properties depend on the type of question format type selected:

NOTE: For Spanish forms, provide this information in Spanish.


PropertyQuestion Type(s)Description
SizeHeaderSelect the font size for the header.
DescriptionParagraphType any instructions or information about the form.
OptionsRadio button, Dropdown-Multiple ChoiceType each option the parent can choose from. There are two fields for each option:

• In the left field, type the option as it should be displayed in ParentPortal.
• In the right field, type the option the way you want it to appear in the response. Parents will not see this name; it is for internal use only.
It is okay for these to be the same.


• Click Add Option + to add as many options as needed.
• Click delete icon to remove an option.

Options example

Allow Multiple SelectionsDropdown-Multiple ChoiceIndicate if the parent can choose more than one option.
Display Options HorizontallyRadio buttonIf selected, all options are displayed on the same row.
radio options in line

If not selected, each option is displayed on a separate row.
radio options not in line
Default ValueDate FieldIndicate the default value. If entered, it will be displayed initially, rather than the Placeholder text. If the parent deletes the default value, the Placeholder Text is displayed.
Minimum/Maximum NumberNumber FieldSpecify a range of numbers that are allowed.
Minimum/Maximum DateDate FieldSpecify a range of dates that are allowed.
Maximum CharactersText Field, Text AreaIndicate the maximum number of characters the parent can enter.
Number of RowsText AreaSpecify how tall the text area is. The number of rows does not affect the number of characters the parent can enter.
Input TypeText Field, Text AreaSelect the type of text you are asking the parent to enter.


❏ You can further adjust the form. Hover over each question in the form:

Delete icon - Click to remove the question from the form.
Edit icon - Click to view/modify the properties of the question.

Click Close to collapse (i.e., hide) the properties for a particular question.

Copy icon - Click to duplicate the question including its properties.



❏ Click Clear if you need to remove all questions from the form and start over.

❏ Click Save.

❏ Click Previous if you need to return to Step 1 to modify form properties.

NOTE: A custom form must be added to either the Returning Student Registration or Student Data Maintenance group (under Form Group Management) to be visible to parents. Custom forms are not available for use in New Student Enrollment.




ASCENDER Parent Portal Admin > Form Management > Custom Forms > Edit Custom Form

This page allows you to view or modify existing custom forms that you have created. Copy allows you to copy a form and add or remove fields.



Edit Custom Form page

Your existing custom forms are listed. Active Forms are listed first, and Archived Forms are listed below active forms.

To translate an English and Spanish form into Spanish, select Spanish from the Language drop-down menu and select Edit.

WARNING: When translating into Spanish, only translate the text, do not change the order of the Questions or add any Questions. Doing so will cause data in the Spanish version to become out of sync with the English version.

❏ Click Edit to view/modify a form.

The form opens in editing mode. You can make changes as described on Custom Forms > Create Custom Form.

NOTE: Custom Forms with data attached have limited edit capabilities. The campus cannot be edited and fields cannot be rearranged, deleted or duplicated. If major changes are required, it is recommended to use the Copy Form feature to create a new form.



Edit Custom Form page

❏ Or, click Copy to copy a form.

The form opens in editing mode. You can make a copy of a form and add or remove fields as described on Custom Forms > Create Custom Form. The Form Name field is limited to 50 characters.

Copy Custom Form page

❏ Select Archive to archive the form.

Archiving allows you to retain forms that may still be needed for reporting purposes but are no longer used for data collection. An archived form is still accessible to administrators, but is grouped with other archived forms for organizational purposes.



❏ Click Back to Available Forms to return to the list of existing custom forms.

❏ Click Delete to delete a custom form.

NOTE: A custom form cannot be deleted if there is data associated with it.




ASCENDER Parent Portal Admin > Form Management > Custom Forms > View Custom Form Data

This page allows you to view data submitted by parents in custom forms.


Your existing custom forms are listed. Active Forms are listed first, and Archived Forms are listed below active forms.

NOTE: Archived forms are forms that may still be needed for reporting purposes but are no longer used for data collection. An archived form is still accessible to administrators, but is grouped with other archived forms for organizational purposes.

View Custom Form Data page

Form NameThe name of the custom form is displayed, as entered in Step 1 on the Create Custom Form page.
CampusThe campuses using the custom form are listed.
Forms SubmittedThe number of form responses submitted by parents is displayed.


❏ Click View Data to view the answers submitted by parents. <div indent>The answer data is displayed in a grid below the forms list.

TIP: You can click the column headings to sort data by a particular question.



View Custom Form Data page with submitted forms listed

ExcelClick to export the report as a spreadsheet.
Column visibilityClick to select which columns to include in the export.


NOTE: It is recommended that you save a backup copy of the form once all data is gathered.