The new system, Superintendent Rod Paige said, will be able to give students, teachers and parents accurate assessment of student progress. It also will tell teachers and parents what could be done to improve a student's academic work.

"Districts are purchasing teaching, not student learning," according to Sheree Speakman, senior partner at Coopers & Lybrand, one of the developers of the technology-based system Houston will use. Announcing the step during the annual meeting of the Education Commission of the States, Paige said urban districts are large organizations that need to operate efficiently. "We know what to do. We just have to have the political will to do it," he said.

Houston's new system is called Class ACT and consists of four products developed by Fox River Learning, HOSTS Corporation, Educational Performance Management and Coopers & Lybrand. The four pieces will:

• show people where money is spent by program, by school and by function so educators can move money to support what is working
• inform teachers and parents how students are progressing and what teaching strategies are proving to be effective
• offer resources and strategies teachers can use to tailor learning for each student, and
• help districts recruit and train community members and parents to effectively mentor students.

According to Paige, the system will tell officials "what is happening in the classroom and why." Furthermore, "there will be no more question about exactly how every penny is spent."

Houston will begin using the system in 100 of its 272 schools this fall.