Identifying and Monitoring Students' Learning Needs With Technology

This article presents initial findings from an evaluation research study of the implementation of a Web-based decision support tool, the Quality School Portfolio (QSP), developed at the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The study focused on users' experiences with the training for and implementation of QSP. Data were collected by telephone interviews. The results show that QSP provided educators with enhanced access to more extensive and broadly founded student data and with the ability to analyze student data to identify at-risk students. Additionally, QSP was found to promote collaboration and shared planning among educators. It is concluded that technology tools, which can facilitate the analysis and reporting of educational data, have opened up the prospect of timely identification of at-risk students and interventions to meet their educational needs. Tools like this also support sound assessment practices, providing opportunities for frequent assessment and other evidence of competency beyond standardized testing.