SPRINGFIELD - The Twin City school districts have launched databases to collect student information to help teachers do their jobs better, and the state is about to follow suit.

Bloomington District 87 and Normal-based Unit 5 school districts recently rolled out the Illini Data project at Oakland Elementary School in Bloomington and at Glenn Elementary School in Normal. Those schools will be initial sites where the bugs can be worked out.

By August all teachers at all schools in both districts will be able to access detailed information about all of their students, including test scores, allergies, and what kinds of help a student has been receiving.

"It's a significant undertaking," said District 87 Superintendent Bob Nielsen, noting that all educators would like to have data at their fingertips when planning lessons or working with students.

The concept of building databases on students is catching on at the state level too.

The state does not have a standardized system for handling data it already has to collect, such as who receives special education or free or reduced-cost lunches.

The Illinois State Board of Education announced it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Education to receive a nearly $9 million grant to develop its own data system for more than 890 school districts.

Both the state project and its Twin City counterparts are intended to make data about students more accessible to educators, especially when it comes to helping children reach the standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act.

Illinois has proposed developing a "longitudinal data system" that will collect and maintain individual student data from preschool through college.

The state board will receive nearly $1.2 million during 2009-2010 for activities to support the system's development. Additional funding will be spread over 2011 to 2013.

Illinois has already put into place some of the foundation for a longitudinal data system, including the development of a unique student identification system and collection of student-level data.