Since the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act was introduced, schools and districts have focused their efforts on better ways to evaluate student progress and report results. Beyond test scores, however, ongoing assessment can make all the difference in student learning and improving scores. Third grade is a year in which some students begin to fall behind their peers. It is also the first year of NCLB testing. In December 2002, Delta State University began a research project funded by the U.S. Department of Education to study the impact of using the LeapTrack[R] Assessment & Instruction System with third-graders in four school districts. Senatobia Public Schools participated in the study. The LeapTrack[R] system combines research-based curriculum with multisensory technology to advance student achievement through the use of LeapPad[R] and Quantum LeapPad[R] personal learning tools (PLTs), which provide motivation, instruction, feedback, and targeted practice through personalized instruction. Senatobia found that using the LeapTrack[R] system to provide regular formative assessment and instruction based on individual needs produced significant learning gains, especially for low achieving students. That is why the students in kindergarten through second grade now use the LeapTrack[R] system too. After a full year of using the system, says Mr. Jackson, "Senatobia Elementary School's state accreditation level came in at level 4; that's an 'exemplary school.'"