The St. Louis Public Schools initiated a formative evaluation of the use, allocation, and impact of information technology in its schools and classrooms in the summer of 2001 (Appendix A). The intent was two-fold; first, to develop a set of descriptive indicators for how technology is to impact students and teachers, second, to gather baseline data on the current status of technology use.

A district technology rubric was developed (Appendix B) and was utilized by the evaluation committee to evaluate the district's instructional technology implementation. The evaluation committee used collected data assign a placement on a performance continuum from unacceptable (Level 1) to ideal (Level 4). Current placement would then be compared to year re-evaluations to determine next steps for continuous improvement.

Each year there will be an evaluation of the progress that the district has made in implementing its technology plan. This evaluation will include online surveys, classroom observations, and focus group meetings. The data gathered from these efforts will be reviewed by the technology committee. The committee will then decide what steps need to be taken to increase technology awareness among staff and students. The rubrics obtained from Sun Associates will be used to help interpret the data collected. Revision of the rubrics when necessary will also be done by the technology committee. A part of this evaluation is discussed at the St. Louis Board of Education's annual retreat. They evaluate the previous year's goals and set goals for the next year.