Then there were test-prep products, mostly digital, that promised to improve scores by helping teachers track students' progress.
But when teachers track student performance, they can spot trends, tailor instruction to the needs of students and take corrective action.
Some systems help teachers track students' progress in real time, enabling them to spend more time with those who need extra support.
Edusoft, based in San Francisco, helps school districts, administrators and teachers track student performance on state standards through state exams, district benchmarks and in-class teacher tests, the filing said.
"This costly tech program was much touted by the D.O.E. to help principals and teachers track progress and thereby improve student learning, even as longtime educators questioned its cost and effectiveness," Mr. Liu said in a statement, concluding that "$83 million later, there is little discernible improvement in learning and many principals and teachers have given up on the system".
They're now starting two-year jobs at an eclectic array of start-ups, ranging from Are You a Human, which designs game-based verification systems to thwart spam bots, to Kickboard, an online dashboard that helps teachers track student performance and behavior.
It also provides a classroom management backend system that lets teachers track students' progress.
Another will help teachers track attendance, displaying photos of students and a choice of four status buttons ("present," "tardy," "absent" or "excused").. Students will be able to use the devices to check their syllabi and course calendars, receive emergency alerts, order subs from the local Quiznos and keep up with city events.
Marauder Tours is an app that lets tour guides and school teachers track people during a tour, and also create activities ("treasure hunts") for tour guides to present to their groups to help them interact with and experience their locations by way of looking for and responding to specific objects and locations in the specific space.
Long on atmosphere and short on believability, "A Teacher" tracks a young Texas high-school teacher sometime after she has started having sex with one of her students.
