Florida Success Stories

I teach children with Autism and my husband and I also run a therapeutic home for kids with Autism. We also have adopted two children with Autism. I can say that the Essential Skills programs have transformed my children! My son is diagnosed with Autism and Apraxia. He is so immersed in the Sight Words program that that he is verbally imitating the sounds he hears, he is spelling, and reading! My daughter who reads on a pre-primer level with no comprehension in August has recently been tested and scored a 2.3 (second grade third month) on reading with full comprehension. What your programs do is simply amazing. I know they are not marketed directly for children with Autism but I am telling you as parent and teacher of kids with Autism the way they are designed is exactly what our kids need. They are repetitive, provide clear and concise verbal directions, and immediate feedback. My thanks to you!

Teresa Irani, CBS Teacher
Elliott Point Elementary, Fort Walton Beach, Florida

These programs are absolutely phenomenal. They were originally purchased for remediation and ESL but now all of our students use them daily. Even the pre-Kindergarten students are using the Phonemic Awareness program. These programs correlate very well with state standards at each grade level. We love your software.

Karen McGinnis, Grade Two Teacher
Astatula Elementary, Astatula, Florida

We have been using Reading Comprehension and Sight Words from Essential Skills for several years on a daily basis in some of our classes. These programs have been extremely economical for us and very beneficial, especially to our ESL students.

Melissa Hartfield, Instructional Support Teacher
Kingsford Elementary, Mulberry, Florida

Our students are benefiting greatly from regular use of the software from Essential Skills. These programs build skills in a fun but methodical way. Teachers also love the software because it correlates very well to the state standards and provides excellent basic skills preparation for the FCAT testing.

Suzanne Boyd, Remedial Teacher
Wright Elementary, Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Our teachers and students love this software. These programs are excellent for building basic skills in a way that really keeps the children motivated and allows them to work independently. The Essential Skills programs are clean and get right down to practicing the skills. The children never seem to get bored. This software aligns with the curriculum standards for our state and is a great supplement to what is being taught in the classroom.

Barbara Gough, Media Specialist
Valparaiso Elementary, Valparaiso, Florida

We have been using Essential Skills for eight years now. It is still used on a daily basis in our primary grades. The teachers and students love these programs. They offer exceptional value and they are right on target with students who need that little bit extra. The skills are aligned with our state curriculum and are an excellent supplement to what is being taught in the classroom.

Dondie Sugden Media Specialist, Librarian
Shalimar Elementary, Shalimar, Florida

I am very happy with the Phonics and the Phonemic Awareness programs. I use the programs on a regular basis with my students. The skills correlate well with the state standards and the programs are very motivating for the children.

Emilee Kalleen, Resource Teacher
S D Spady Elementary, Delray Beach, Florida

We use Essential Skills Software heavily in our remediation program. These programs are very motivational to many of the students who are turned off by other approaches to learning. Even our lowest performing students really enjoy learning with this software so you know it is engaging them.

Linda Johnson, Curriculum Resource
Edwins Elementary, Fort Walton Beach, Florida

I first discovered your software a few years ago while at another school. We love the programs. The students enjoy earning the stars and check marks and the Marks Manager printout is very helpful. As a Language Arts teacher for K-2, my curriculum has been greatly enhanced with your programs.

Shannon DeBerry, Second Grade Teacher
Ft. Walton Beach, Florida

We used three of the Essential Skills reading programs in our summer school program for our 3rd grade students who needed remediation and had not passed the FCAT . Now we are using it with all of our third graders to prepare them for their FCAT test in Reading. We have 13 sections of third graders and are using the software throughout the day. These programs are terrific for teaching and reinforcing the required reading and comprehension skills FCAT testing.

Elizabeth Bell, Tech Coordinator
Riverside Elementary, Marianna, Florida