California Success Stories

I have used software from Essential Skills for at least three years with my second grade students. There is a lot of excellent content in each program with many different skills to practice and a good variety of activities that appeal to all types of learners. The children are able to work independently and at their own pace. These programs also correlate very well with our curriculum standards and they reinforce and supplement what is being taught in my classroom.

Pamela McNew, Grade 2 Teacher
Arrowhead Elementary School, San Bernardino, California

The software from Essential Skills does what I want it to do. It is focused on content and skill building in a progressive, sequential way. I like that the programs are skill specific. If I have a child with a specific problem I can go right to that skill and have them work it. As a bonus my students really like using the programs. I would definitely recommend these programs to other teachers.

Kim Solomon, Kindergarten Teacher
Santa Rosa SD, Santa Rosa, California

I used your software on an ongoing basis for several years while I was a classroom teacher. I felt good about using something that I knew my students enjoyed so much. The Reading Comprehension programs are great for teaching comprehension and vocabulary skills. These programs are used heavily in our after school program. They are motivating for children, and do a nice job of supplementing our core curriculum.

Lesley Clevenger, Program Manager
Natividad Elementary, Salinas, California

I love Essential Skills! I have spent a long time looking at instructional software options, and this is the best I have come across. This software covers the different needs of all my students. It is perfect for creating individualized, independent, learn at your own pace programming for students.

Cheryl Hanlon, Resource Specialist
Silver Spur Elementary, Palos Verdes, California

I use Essential Skills on a daily basis with all of my students. The programs especially benefit my ELD kids. I really like the presentation of media, and the use of rewards and reinforcements. The skills within each program are closely aligned to the California curriculum standards.

Kevin Porep, Grade 1-2 Teacher
La Escuelita Elementary, Oakland, California

Your programs coincide nicely with our curriculum standards. My students have made significant improvements using the Reading Comprehension programs. There is a lot of content in each program. My students find them engaging and motivating. I have been using your software for 10 years, and the recent upgrade to OS X was a big improvement.

David Hays, Grade 2 Teacher
Boronda Meadows Elementary, Salinas, California

I have been using Essential Skills for about three years. There are a good variety of activities in the programs, and they cover many of our reading curriculum standards. They really make a difference for our student. The kids are definitely learning the basic skills required for them to become fluent readers. This software supplements and reinforces the core curriculum perfectly.

Gail Dehaan, Computer Teacher
Pierce Elementary, Ridgecrest, California

The Essential Skills programs are used daily in our computer lab, our regular classrooms and in our Special Education program. The children enjoy and are motivated by this software and come back to them time after time. The tracking and reporting features are easy to use and create great progress reports. The phonics skills and the math programs are very well aligned with our curriculum. Our grade one teachers say that their children have made dramatic gains each year from working on the Super Phonics programs. The test scores have gone way up for their children.

Denise Watts, Computer Teacher
Martin Luther King Elementary, Sacramento, California

We use these programs a lot. We all like how easy they are to use, and how simple it is for the teachers and kids to see what the kids have completed. The programs are very comprehensive, and provide a lot of skills practice and reinforcement. They really support what has been taught in the classroom, and they are great for individualized instruction. We have about 300 students using the software, and they love it!

Diana McElwain, Technology Coordinator
Plantation Elementary, Bakersfield, California

I have used these programs on a daily basis for the past three years. They are an essential component of my instructional toolkit. I like the fact that in all of the Spelling programs I can enter my own spelling lists. I use this feature to input the weekly spelling words for each grade level. I also like the Grammar program because it provides thorough coverage of all the grammar rules, and practice of the requisite grammar skills. These programs offer excellent value, and I would highly recommend them to other teachers!

Liz Bower, Resource Specialist Programmer
Kirk Elementary, Fresno, California