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Teaching any child to read is a complex task requiring effort and commitment from all involved parties. When the child also has learning disabilities, the levels of commitment, time, and specific instruction skyrocket. Ideally all children will begin literacy instruction in a tier 1 environment, using methods and tools that will identify areas of need early in a student’s education. Online reading programs for special education from Essential Skills can be used with all early readers, as well as older remedial students. These programs provide instant feedback to teachers, including areas of success and weakness. Once a difficulty has been identified, Essential Skills programs can be used to address missing skills and give students extra practice where they need it most.

The importance of early education cannot be overstated. Many school districts have transitioned from a single half-day to two years of full days at the kindergarten level. This prepares young students for the more formal learning environment they will encounter later. Reading programs for kindergarten by Essential Skills help give children the basic prereading skills they need in a format that appeals to a variety of learning styles.

As adults we are immersed in a world full of text that seamlessly transforms into meaningful messages. The written word enables us to communicate with colleagues, family and friends, keep informed of current events and enhance and broaden our imagination. This experience of reading effortlessly requires a great deal of effort to accomplish. Children must acquire a complex set of skills and learn them in a systematic way to grow into lifelong readers.

Our world surrounds us with text in myriad of forms and for many purposes. Fluent readers may not even notice, but for students who struggle with the printed word, many parts of life that seem simple to others are a puzzle to them. We read for information, communication and pleasure, but children who are struggling are at risk of giving up altogether. This impacts not only their education, but the rest of their lives. Everyone doesn’t need to read Shakespearean sonnets or translations of Plato, but people should be able to read a news headline or understand directions on a pill bottle.

The words “special education” used to evoke images of contained classrooms of children that were removed from the general school population. Often riding in separate buses, eating lunch in their classrooms and generally differentiated from the school community, these children were naturally stigmatized. That system, while well-meaning, offered students who were already challenged little hope for success or even integration into society.

Learning to read and write is one of the most complex and essential skills a young child will be faced with. Virtually all subsequent education is dependent upon the acquisition of working vocabulary and reading fluency. It can also be the most challenging and rewarding task for educators to teach this primary foundation of future learning. Dolch sight words are a list of the most common words used in the English language and Essential Skills has developed a sight words program that teaches this list in addition to other common words using engaging online activities designed to strengthen students’ reading skills.

Reading intervention is, in a nutshell, extra help for struggling readers. It can take many forms. Ideally, the need for intervention will be spotted early, in pre-school or kindergarten, but if necessary, it can be introduced when troubles come up in later elementary years. Research based reading intervention programs such as those provided by Essential Skills can pinpoint areas of literacy that need to be targeted and offer the tools to achieve success.

For many of us, reading is as effortless as seeing. We are constantly surrounded by and absorbing text without even thinking about it. Warning signs, advertisements, instructions, text messages - we are inundated by textual information, often without even being aware of it. Many children struggle with skills we take for granted. Learning to read can be a complicated task, and so much later learning depends on the fluency of a student’s literacy skills. Essential Skills offers a wide assortment of reading programs for schools that can help children foster a mastery and enjoyment of reading.

Recently, we have all seen our educational institutions shift curriculum delivery models as necessities dictate. These uncertain circumstances can be challenging and confusing for parents, children, and teachers, all of whom are scrambling to find something that works. Happily, Essential Skills provides a range of online educational software to help to maintain a stable and consistent learning experience. There are numerous benefits to good online educational software for schools.

RTI (Response to Intervention) is a process used to shift educational focus away from identifying students as “learning disabled” toward the delivery and evaluation of targeted instruction. This process is designed to provide struggling students with a specific course of action to help them succeed. Reading intervention programs for elementary schools like those produced by Essential Skills provide schools with valuable tools that will support all stages of the RTI process.