An improved system and method for tracking of student attendance and student movement, the monitoring of student possession and use of institutional inventory, securing authorized student access to the institution and test sessions, and monitoring student progress in learning employing a data processing telecommunications network having wireless communication capability, an electro-optical reader, a student identity card having encoded indicia thereon correlatable to the student's identity and readable by the electro-optical reader, and a processor for correlating confirmed student identity information with student activity information.