USA Success Stories

We love your software and we are using the programs in all of the schools in our district with excellent results.

Patti Fusco, Teacher
West Haven Board of Ed., West Haven, Connecticut

Your programs are great! The teachers and the students love them.

Sr. Mary John O'Rourke, Teacher
St. Gregory the Great, Danbury, Connecticut

One of my students has improved from grade level 2.7 to 6.6 in just 11 months by using your programs. I have other students who have jumped two grade levels in just three to four months. Your programs are fantastic.

Wayne Flenke, Teacher
Brooklyn Correctional Inst., Brooklyn, Connecticut

Our students love your programs. They teach Reading skills to our students in a fun yet instructive way.

Sr. Joan Marie, Teacher
St. Joseph School, Rockville, Connecticut

The teachers in our school love your programs. We are also using them with our Reading Intervention Students.

Linda Lazar, Tech Coord.
Hurlbutt Elementary, Weston, Connecticut

Your programs are a great teaching tool! The students are able to navigate them very easily.

Mary Tokarz, Computer Aide
Mary T. Murphy Elementary, Branford, Connecticut

There are a lot of great activities to do within each program. They keep the students challenged and motivated.

Patricia Howard, Pupil Services
Enfield PS District, Enfield, Connecticut

We are very pleased with Essential Skills Software programs. We love the fact that your programs are just challenging enough to keep the students interested.

Andrea Johnson, Teacher
Cook Hill Elementary, Wallingford, Connecticut

We work with our students on fluency and then put them on Essential Skills Software. We are seeing great results and gains.

Monica Schill, Teacher
Breckenridge Elementary, Breckenridge, Minnesota

ESS programs cut out all the bells and whistles. Both the students and I love the programs. Phonemic Awareness and Math are used a lot from Kindergarten to grade 2.

Barb Iannazzo, Teacher
St. Mary Elementary School, White Bear Lake, Minnesota

Our students from the 1st to the 5th grade are using Essential Skills programs in the computer lab. We love the programs.

Debra Madsen, Teacher
Menahga School, Menahga, Minnesota

Our Students use Essential Skills programs for half an hour two to three times per week. The kids are more engaged in these applications than the ones that are gamey. They love the positive rewards - these spur them on to achieve more. They are also very motivated by their own success at building the skills they need.

Jeffrey Blevins, Teacher
Community of Peace Academy, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Essential Skills software is an integral part of our reading program. We encourage all of our teachers to use it with their students.

Margaret Meyer, Teacher
Becker Primary School, Becker, Minnesota

Our classroom teachers are using Essential Skills programs for remediation. We use them in Special Ed - in fact they are used all over the school.

Joe Ness, Teacher
Lafayette Charter School, Lafayette, Minnesota

There has been a real need for reading programs and Essential Skills programs have worked well for us. There is real value to them I like the continuity between programs and love the Marks Manager. We will be looking at adding new programs.

Shirley Khoshnevis, Teacher
St. Martin Catholic School, Rogers, Minnesota

The concepts in the software are very thoughtfully presented and the material is wonderful.

Pam Olson, Teacher
Northside Elementary, St.James, Minnesota

This is the most wonderful software I've ever come across!

Gloria Agenten, Teacher
Christ Lutheran School, Zumbrota, Minnesota

We have used this software on a daily basis for several years. The adult students enjoy using this software. They find it motivating and easy to use The Essential Skills programs are excellent for reinforcing and maintaining skills that have previously been taught. We look forward to purchasing more of them.

Gabby Postiglione, Teacher
Hasting Adult Basic Education Center, Hastings, Minnesota

The Essential Skills programs build skills sequentially and offer great practice and reinforcement for the students. It is easy for them to use and easy to keep track of where they are. The programs are highly motivating and students are able to feel successful. There are enough levels for most students to work independently and at their own pace.

Dawn Bruess, Special Education
Parkview Elementary, White Bear Lake, Minnesota

We have been using Sight Words from Essential Skills for the past seven years. The program is easy to use and entertaining without the bells and whistles. The program complements and reinforces teacher-directed classroom instruction. The reports are easy to access and you can see at a glance how students are progressing.

Yvonne Neils, Media Specialist
Armstrong Elementary, Cottage Grove, Minnesota

The programs from Essential Skills are exactly what we were looking for. Our favorite is the Mad Minute math. The students are very motivated to learn their facts, get the certificates and move on to the next level. They love to see their progress through the math facts. The children always look forward to working on these programs.

Michele Durbahn, Library and Media Coordinator
Sacred Heart School, Waseca, Minnesota

We love your programs and use them daily. 85% of the software we use is from Essential Skills. The programs are well guided making it easy for children to pick up where they leave off. The students love the variety of reinforcement but there is not a lot of hoopla, just the meat of teaching and reinforcing basic skills. The Essential Skills tech department has always been very helpful and responsive to our needs and issues.

Amy O'Neal, Media Specialist
Sts. Peter Paul and Michael School, St.Cloud, Minnesota

The Essential Skills programs are not as glitzy as some programs but they make up for it in content. Students can navigate through the programs very easily and they are engaged and motivated by the activities. They are a great alternative to Read Naturally for students who need enrichment not remediation! Both sales and technical support have been very helpful and they are always courteous and patient. Essential Skills is a great company with excellent instructional software!

Sue Pierson, Computer Lab Teacher
Oak Grove Elem., Bloomington, Minnesota

I run a disability program for adults recovering from traumatic brain injuries or from stroke or possible spinal cord injuries. I use the programs from Essential Skills Software with my clients. The programs are wonderful because the adults are able to do activities and are engaged and motivated by them. They experience no frustration at all. They quickly become accustomed to how the programs work and can work independently. These programs are making a big difference for the adults in terms of regaining their cognitive abilities. Our testing shows that they are making solid gains. Essential Skills is one of our main tools for these disabled adults.

Lori Yurick, Teaching Assistant
Winnetka Learning Center, Winnetka, Minnesota

I have used Essential Skills for several years. The programs are easy for all students to use regardless of their ability level. The students never tire of the programs and the skills are aligned with our curriculum perfectly.

Darcy Josephson, Title I Coordinator
Redwood Area SD, Redwood Falls, Minnesota

The children asked for computer time with ESS programs when they came back for this school year. They really like using them. Another Special Ed. Teacher showed me the brochure and as soon as I reviewed the software I could tell they would help my students.

Susan Bowers, Special Education Teacher
Whitmire Community School, Whitmire, South Carolina

We are using ESS programs with our multi age group and learning disabled kids. They use the programs 2 - 3 times a week. It teaches the skills in a way that is not humanly possible. I have really noticed the improvement in their performance. Both the students and I like the Marks Manager. The kids like the way it shows them their daily results and I like how it easily keeps track of all student progress. I always recommend ESS programs to other teachers.

Karen Newkirk, Special Education Teacher
Pomaria-Garmany Elementary, Pomaria, South Carolina

We have had a significant rise in student achievement and attribute some of this to Essential Skills Software. Our Special Education students are also using the programs. The teachers are saying that the children find the programs very user-friendly and are motivated by their own success when using them.

Jennifer Bowen, Curriculum Facilitator
Devon Forest Elementary, Goose Creek, South Carolina

During our 1st year of using ESS programs there was an increase in our reading scores. A lot of our teachers are having the students use the Reading Comprehension programs. We also use these programs to prepare for the state testing. They teach the required skills in a fun and interesting format. Our Resource teachers are also using this software. We feel that these are valuable learning tools.

Willa Simpson, Literacy Coach
Coosa Elementary, Beaufort, South Carolina

We use CRTC scores to guide us as to how to place students in the software. We used them as a program enhancement and our test scores have improved!

Marcetta Wong
Title I Teacher

This software is used daily with our students. The programs can be individualized to meet the ability level and learning style of each student. I have noticed an improvement in my students' performance and I use the programs to prepare the kids for testing.

Lara Thompson
Interrelated Teacher

Sight Words has made a real difference with even my lower skilled children. I can tell from my classroom testing that the children are making solid progress.

Betsy Walker
Grade One Teacher

We love the programs from Essential Skills! I use them with children that have Learning Disabilities and need support with basic reading and math skills. These programs provide the extra practice and reinforcement they need. I have observed measurable improvements in the basic skill levels of my students as a direct result of using this intervention software.

Shellie Wood, Special Needs Coordinator
Janney Elementary, Washington, DC

Essential Skills offers the best software programs I have ever found for special needs children. I have used your programs for years. Our elementary teachers also find the assessment programs very helpful for testing and tracking their students. These programs have had a major impact on the improved Mississippi Curriculum Test scores with my students. Their MCT scores have gone up at least one level each year. The children love using these programs and they are anxious to get on them every day.

Sandra Howard, Special Education Teacher Grades 4-6
Greenlee Elementary, Mc Cool, Mississippi

We are very, very pleased with the software from Essential Skills. We use it from grades 1-7. These programs are also great for our older students who are performing below grade level. It very much supports the curriculum.

Winifred Spears, Principal
Principal, Principal, Mississippi

The first thing I do as the principal of a new school is add the programs from Essential Skills. The programs offer a perfect blend of basic skills practice and reinforcement. They are also highly motivating for the children. Essential Skills is a low cost technology-based solution that is readily available to help address instructional gaps.

Janice Hatcher, Principal
Principal, Principal, Mississippi

We use Essential Skills programs everyday with our students. We think they are very effective.

Nancy Johnson, Title I Teacher
Jumpertown Elementary, Booneville, Mississippi

We are using Essential Skills software every day. We find it useful and helpful to our children. We test their sight word ability and their reading comprehension twice each school year. The results show that the Sight Words and Reading Comprehension programs from Essential Skills are very effective in teaching these skills to our students.

Brenda Silas, Grade One Teacher
A.W. James Elementary School, Drew, Mississippi

We use Essential Skills programs regularly in Kindergarten and Grade One. If the students could use the programs more often they would - it's their favorite.

Joanne Barnes, Computer Lab
Thrasher School, Boonville, Mississippi

I love Essential Skills programs The students are doing much better using Writing Fundamentals. I also use Reading Comprehension and Grammar with my students. I even use the programs in my after school program.

Katie Peacock, Grade 4 Teacher
McEvans Elementary, Shaw, Mississippi

I was selected as teacher of the year for my work in a pre-trial detention facility for 14-18 year olds that are charged with having committed felonies. The skills based software from Essential Skills is an indispensable part of my curriculum for these young people. My students have widely varying academic needs that can be met with these programs. The repetition and reinforcement of skills is excellent and the curriculum is meaningful and well ordered.

Cynthia Cokern, PhD Spec. Ed., Juvenile Teacher
Hinds County Detention Center, Jackson, Mississippi

I love Essential Skills. The programs are kid friendly, easy to use and offer great practice and reinforcement for all of the basic skills. The students are able to practice their skills independently at their own level and pace. These programs offer training in all the basics that the children simply have to know. I have a deaf child who can do many of the Essential Skills activities even though he is unable to hear.

Jane Rutz, Computer Lab Teacher
Heidelberg Elementary, Clarksdale, Mississippi

I use Essential Skills programs daily for remediation and for reinforcing what is being taught in the classroom. These programs are highly motivating. I love the way the children are totally engaged. Their test results are showing significant gains in sight word memory and reading comprehension. This is the best low cost, skill development software I have seen for kids.

Dena Bradford, Computer Lab Teacher
Pearman Elem., Cleveland, Mississippi

Our kids really enjoy using the programs from Essential Skills. They are able to work on their skills independently and be successful at their own level of ability. We like the reinforcement and repetition of skills and the fact that the skills are generalized to other curriculum areas. We use Essential Skills programs in both regular and special education.

Cynthia Gully, Special Education
Glade Elementary, Laurel, Mississippi

I teach children with behaviour problems. The kids have responded very well to the programs. I am using them with middle school and high school students and they are very motivated by the success they are having using these programs.

Jennifer Cwach, Teacher
Summit Oaks Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

We use ESS as an integral part of our program. The kids have made good gains and they love the programs. These programs have been very helpful in preparing them for state testing.

Jacque Hagerty, Special Education Teacher
South Park Elementary, Belle Fourche, South Dakota

The Resource teacher and 1st grade teachers are using Essential Skills programs with their students. Our test scores are good and we would attribute some of that to the Essential Skills Software. The skills that the programs teach correlate well to our state standards.

Larry Bandy, Principal
Principal, Principal, South Dakota

We have eleven ESS programs and I use them as an incentive with my students. The "main idea" questions in Reading Comprehension are very good. The students are enjoying the programs and their vocabulary skills are improving.

Corrine Lovett, Title I Teacher
Hitchcock School, Hitchcock, South Dakota

I use ESS programs all the time. I use them with children who have beginning reading problems. We work with them twice a week.

Bonnie Carr, Speech Therapist
South Park Elementary, Belle Fourche, South Dakota

Our kids go to the lab for 90 minutes a week - also each classroom has 6 computers. The students are very motivated by using Essential Skills. The reinforcement provided by these programs is wonderful. We are using 11 ESS titles in our district.

Chris Rhodes, Technology Mentor
Todd Co School District, Mission, South Dakota

We have nine ESS building licenses in our school. The teachers use them with their students in the classroom to support the curriculum. One of our teachers has requested even more ESS programs.

Jolinda Goldsmith, Technology Coordinator
Lemmon Elementary, Lemmon, South Dakota

These are all great programs, especially for students who are on TCP. The Reading Comprehension programs are excellent! I like the passages and the vocabulary building activities with the comprehension questions afterwards. The programs are very teacher friendly and the kids enjoy them. These programs make a real difference for my kids and contribute to my student scores rising each year on the Dakota STEP.

Patricia Battershaw, Grade 4/5 Teacher
South Elementary, Mission, South Dakota

The programs from Essential Skills are very well organized and easy to use. This is a very good tool to generalize the learning of skills. We also use Essential Skills successfully with autistic kids and with our intellectually handicapped kids. The children love the immediate reinforcement the programs provide. These programs align with our standards and focus in on specific skills.

Kristle Christensen, Sp. Ed. Resource
Madison Elem., Huron, South Dakota

These programs were developed by teachers who really do understand how children learn. Class work has improved in the area of decoding and word recognition skills. Test score improvements on the can be in part attributed to these wonderful programs!

Deanne Dye
Principal

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

We use the Comprehension programs from Essential Skills every day. From a technical standpoint they are very robust programs and resilient to server issues and errors that will cause problems with other software. The programs are certainly helpful in correcting skill deficits. Many of our Special Education students have made significant gains in reading thanks in large part to the Comprehension programs from Essential Skills.

Chad Cram, Technology Specialist
Hudson Elementary, Hudson, Florida

We love Essential Skills programs and use them daily throughout our school. They incorporate all the learning modalities to practice each concept. This software provides great supplemental practice for all of our students, including ESOL, Learning Disabled, and our gifted and talented students. We love the simplicity of the record keeping and the ease at which we can pull up reports. These programs were very affordable for our small school.

Pamela Anderson, Curriculum Technology Specialist
Pine Island Elementary, Florida

We have used the Super Phonics programs throughout our school on a daily basis for close to ten years. These programs are very powerful teaching and reinforcement tools for early learners and early readers. The kids love these programs and really feel that they are learning to read using them. I highly recommend these programs to other schools!

Maymie King, Technology Facilitator
Peace River Elementary, Port Charlotte, Florida

The Essential Skills programs are easy to use and our children are really motivated by them. The teachers like using the marks manager to see how the children are progressing and to get reports to use in parent conferencing. We also use the programs to provide specific skill training for students on an individualized basis. The skills presented are reflective of the skills being taught in the classroom and provide excellent reinforcement. I would absolutely recommend this software to other schools!

Shelly Curry, Curriculum/Technology Specialist
Alva Elementary, Alva, Florida

Readiness Skills is like a brain gym for our kids. Our children absolutely adore this program from Essential Skills. The instructions are clear and the activities are very enticing. The programs are easy to use and the children can see their progress. I love the marking and reporting features. This is great, low cost, high value software!

Mary Walruth, K-1 Computer Lab Coordinator
Brentwood Elementary, Florida

We used Essential Skills daily with our K-3 students to supplement their classroom instruction. The programs are easy to navigate and even the little ones can understand how to use them. The children are very motivated and engaged by this software. We are very happy with the programs as they provide great practice and reinforcement of the basic skills.

Karyn Allen, Instructional Assistant Title I Teacher
Discovery Elementary, Palm Bay, Florida

We try to have our students on ESS programs 3 times a week. This software is very helpful in addressing skill deficits and we have noticed an improvement in their reading. Our students really enjoy using the programs.

Terry Billing, Special Education Assistant
Rosebud School, Rosebud, Montana

We use Essential Skills programs before state testing to help prepare our students. Reading Comprehension is especially helpful. Our kids love this software.

Bev O'Hara, Special Education Teacher
Fort Benton Elementary, Fort Benton, Montana

We have 15 Essential Skills programs and our students use them everyday. The students like the programs and I have noticed an improvement in student performance after using ESS.

Lori Donnelley, Special Education Teacher
Trail Creek School, Ismay, Montana

We use the Essential Skills programs with our K-2 students on a daily basis. They are used in the afterschool program as well. We like the way the way the programs reward and reinforce student learning. The Marks Manager for tracking and reporting student achievement is very useful to us as well. Ever since we started using the programs for reading intervention with our first and second grade students, we have seen that our third and fourth grade students are much more ready to learn.

Brenda Hoerner, Principal and Title I reading teacher
Principal and Title I reading teacher, Principal and Title I reading teacher, Montana

We have 4 ESS site licenses at our school and we use the programs for specific skill intervention. The programs are used in the regular classroom but more with remedial reading groups and Special Ed. The students work with the programs 2-3 times per week. We have noticed definite improvement in targeted skills

Cindy Worrall, Principal
Principal, Principal, Montana

We use the Essential Skills programs with our K-2 students on a daily basis. They are used in the afterschool program as well. We like the way the way the programs reward and reinforce student learning. The Marks Manager for tracking and reporting student achievement is very useful to us as well. Ever since we started using the programs for reading intervention with our first and second grade students, we have seen that our third and fourth grade students are much more ready to learn.

Principal and Title I reading teacher,
Canyon Elementary, Columbia Falls, Montana

Essential Skills is being used daily by all our children from grades K to 5 in the computer lab as well as at work stations in the classroom. The phonics software integrates well with our reading program because it teaches sound blending effectively which is part of our corrective reading strategy.

Bonnie Brule, Technology Instructor
Crow Agency Elementary, Crow Agency, Montana

One of the things I love about Essential Skills for native kids is that they like to be competent before they show anything. This software allows them to develop their skills in a private low key manner. It is wonderful for independent work. I like the Marks Manager. I print off copies for teachers to put in their report cards. The children love the software and I can see the carryover in their classroom work. I recommend the software to other teachers.

Kerry Drye, Computer Teacher
Arlee Elementary School, Arlee, Montana

We have Sight Words and Phonemic Awareness which we use in the classroom and in the lab. My kids are so strong in Sight Words by the time they leave grade one! I start my lower kids on Phonemic Awareness before going to Sight Words. Lots of these children don't get exposed to books before they come to school so it is very powerful.

Sibley Ligas, Grade 1 Teacher
St. Ignatius Elementary, St.Ignatius, Montana

We use the custom spelling lists weekly. The kids do it in their own voice. Grades 4 to 6 are using the programs and we have noticed an improvement in their performance. I would highly recommend these programs.

Kay Christensen, Grade 4, 5, 6 Teacher
Flaxville Public School, Flaxville, Montana

The teachers and students really enjoy ESS programs. We have a regular routine. The 1st to 4th graders use the programs three times a week for half an hour each time.

Norman Singley, Computer Technologist
Bonner School District, Bonner, Montana

My second graders use the Sight Words program daily and my first graders will be using it after Christmas. It is a very important tool for teaching word recognition skills. We also use Reading Comprehension level 2. It asks many of the types of question that students will be seeing on their tests. As a bonus, my students love using the software.

Margee Bronec, Grade 1/2 Teacher
Geraldine Elementary, Geraldine, Montana

All of our teachers up to grade four use the Essential Skills programs in the computer lab to supplement and reinforce their classroom instruction. I use the programs in Sp. Ed. and see definite skill improvements with my kids. They are able to work independently and all benefit from their time on these programs.

Teresa Ouzt, Special Education Teacher
Canyon Creek School, Billings, Montana

Our students use the Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Builder programs for grades 4-6 two or three times per week. There is a good selection of interesting non-fiction stories and a wide variety of comprehension, vocabulary and language activities for the students to work on.. The Vocabulary Builder programs are excellent for teaching targeted vocabulary skills. Our students love the programs and actually enjoy developing their reading skills.

Kara Mader, Reading Specialist
Lincoln Elementary, Miles City, Montana

This is one of our favorite software companies. We use their programs consistently with our children. We are observing a measurable gain in our students' reading progress and that can be attributed in part to the programs from Essential Skills.

Marcia Barber, Principal
Principal, Principal, Utah

My children and I just love the programs. I use them all of the time with my students. These programs are clearly designed by teachers who understand how to motivate children and maximize their learning.

Anna Lee, Grade One Teacher
Hawthorne Elementary, Salt Lake City, Utah

We've been using this software for several years. It doesn't waste time; it's easy to follow and keeps track of each student's progress. We have recommended it to all the other schools in our district.

Laurie Ritchie, Computer Teacher
Wasatch Elementary, Ogden, Utah

We have found Essential Skills programs to be more useful than any other educational software. They really focus on building skills in a fun but serious way and very little time is wasted. It has been very beneficial to the literacy development of our students.

Nanette Allen, Resource Teacher
Oakdale Elementary, Sandy, Utah

We use the programs with students from K-6. Our younger children are doing particularly well in the Phonemic Awareness and Math programs. The spotlight is on developing skills but immediate reinforcement is great for the children… very rewarding.

Michelle Stewart-Chavez, Resource Teacher
Foothills Elementary, Riverton, Utah

The Reading Comprehension programs from Essential Skills Software give our students another format from which to read and answer questions. They are enjoyable to the students and at the same time great skill builders. We are very pleased with the results.

Diana McKay, Literacy Specialist
Butler Elementary School, Salt Lake City, Utah

Our teachers are very happy with Essential Skills and use it daily with K-2. The programs are self paced and easy to use. Higher level kids move up a grade and lower level kids can move down. Our students like the feedback of being able to see what they have completed. The skills are aligned with our curriculum and it is easy to adapt the programs to what is being taught in the classroom.

Wendy Zumwalt, Computer Lab Assistant
Three Falls Elem., Hurricane, Utah

The second grade teachers at Lehi love the programs from Essential Skills. They challenge students that need the challenge and are helpful for the children that need the help to work independently at their own level. The children love the programs and their enthusiasm for them doesn't diminish over time. We also use the programs as an intervention tool to help the students become more proficient with their comprehension and vocabulary skills.

Kathy Ferre, Grade Two Teacher
Lehi Elementary, Lehi, Utah

Since using Essential Skills programs on a regular basis our ISTEP scores have gone up in language arts and math.

Donna Burroughs
Principal

Our students use the programs all the time. Our IST scores have gone up!

Susan Schwartz
Principal

We have looked at the students' test scores and have noticed definite performance gains from using this software.

Rosalee Kelley
Technology Coordinator

I use the Reading Comprehension programs for teaching specific reading skills. The kids take to the programs very well and I am seeing improvements in their performance.

Cathy Bremmer
Computer Teacher

We use the Essential Skills programs everyday with the kids in K through 5. They love them! We feel the skills correlate well with the state standards. The software is wonderful. It is so easy to individualize for practice and retention of the specific skills. We have used this software on a daily basis for four years.

Carol Lynn, Special Education Lead Teacher
Mt. Vernon Elementary, Gainesville, Georgia

We use Essential Skills programs on a daily basis. The kids practically fight to get on the computer to use the programs from Essential Skills. We use Grammar and Writing Fundamentals with the older kids. These programs provide excellent practice and reinforcement of skills. The programs work wonders with IEP goals and objectives. This teacher created software is excellent.

Angie Fender, Special Education Coordinator
Lanier County Elementary School, Lakeland, Georgia

These programs are designed to meets the needs of all students from the weakest to those working at a higher level. Each program uses many approaches to suit different learning styles. It is the best software I have ever seen for filling the needs of such a variety of students. To top it off the kids absolutely love the programs from Essential Skills!

Emily Maxwell, Grade Two Teacher
Whigham Elementary School, Whigham, Georgia

We use many different Essential Skills programs at different grade levels. Our kindergarten students all use the Sight Words program. I have received only positive feedback about the programs from the classroom teachers. They are really easy to use and we like the way that the management system works across all the programs. They are very user friendly for teachers and students.

Angelina Koster, Media Specialist
Eastside Elementary, Douglas, Georgia

Our primary teachers and students really like the three reading comprehension programs. The programs do a great job of teaching comprehension and vocabulary skills. The kids love them! They put the headphones on and you don't hear a peep out of them for a half hour. They are totally engrossed and engaged by the software. They love the activities. We also use them to test prep for the Standford 9 and the CRCT.

Marlene Hosmer, Technology Assistant
State Bridge Crossing Elementary, Alpharetta, Georgia

We use the Sight Words software with our K through two students on a daily basis. The teachers feel that this program is the best for teaching word recognition skills. The kids love the programs!

Linda Dowdy, Media Specialist
Jack P. Nix Primary School, Cleveland, Georgia

All six of our grade two classes use the Reading Comprehension program from Essential Skills at least one or two days per week. They are student friendly and have good help features. The kids can work independently. The marks manager and reporting system is extremely easy to use. Also, the software is CRCT test compatible. The students really look forward to using these programs.

Brenda Cassels, Grade Two Teacher
Eastside Elementary, Cairo, Georgia

The Reading Comprehension and Spelling software is being used daily for grades one through five. The first and second grades also use Mastering Numeration. We really like the software. It is easy for the teachers to get progress reports because the Marks Manager ties together all the programs. Students never fuss about using the software. They really enjoy it. These programs align well with state standards and QCC objectives. We have been using the software for four years. These programs really are an excellent value. We will continue to buy from ESS.

Martha Donalson, Instructional Coordinator
Shiver School, Pelham, Georgia

My first grade teachers use Reading Comprehension, Super Phonics and Sight Words. This software meets many of the needs of the first grade Language Arts program. Some of our students also use the software for remediation. All the different modalities are combined in the software and this is very well designed for teaching to different styles. We have used ESS on a regular basis for more than three years.

Francine Wright, Lower School Director
Brookwood School, Thomasville, Georgia

These programs are the best investment we have ever made and our teachers love them! We plan to purchase more as funds become available.

Diane Graham, Instructional Lead Teacher
Blackshear Elementary, Georgia

The math programs from Essential Skills are user friendly and allow our students to work independently at their own level and pace. I like the drill and practice the programs provide and how they reinforce the concepts. I also like the way the math strands are divided into separate programs. We use CRTC scores to guide us as to how to place students in the software. We used them as a program enhancement and our test scores have improved. They are cost efficient and our students find the programs very engaging.

Marcetta Wong, Title I Teacher
Cloud Springs Elementary, Rossville, Georgia

The Super Phonics and Sight Words programs from Essential Skills give my students the support and practice with the early reading skills they need. We use Essential Skills software on a daily basis with our special needs students. These programs go hand in hand with our reading curriculum. These programs do a great job of teaching and reinforcing the early reading concepts my students need. We love this software!

Laura Davis, Special Education Teacher
Lanier Elementary, Gainesville, Georgia

This software is used daily with our students. It is easy for the teachers to use and allows the students to work independently. The programs can be individualized to meet the ability level and learning style of each student. They reinforce basic skills and correlate to our learning standards. I have noticed an improvement in my students' performance and I use the programs to prepare the kids for testing. I would certainly recommend Essential Skills to others.

Lara Thompson, Interrelated Teacher
Fernbank Elementary, Atlanta, Georgia

Essential Skills is used mainly in our computer lab. There are also one or two classes that use it every day. The programs are user friendly and the students enjoy using them. They will actually ask if they can use Essential Skills. These programs are excellent for working with non English speaking students. I would definitely recommend these programs.

Jo Conrad, T.S.T.
Duncan Creek Elementary, Hoschton, Georgia

I use the programs every day with my grade one students. I love the programs. They are skill based but make excellent use of variety and reinforcement to engage the children and keep them focused. The kids never get bored with these programs and beg to use them everyday. Sight Words has made a real difference with even my lower skilled children. I can tell from my classroom testing that the children are making solid progress. The programs are also very intuitive and easy for students to use independently while being able to see their progress.

Betsy Walker, Grade One Teacher
Crescent Road Elementary, Griffin, Georgia

We use Essential Skills programs everyday with our second and third grade students and our Special Education students. All children are able to work independently and at their own level and pace. I am very impressed with the programs. They provide exceptional practice and reinforcement of the basic skills. There is good diagnostic information with lots of well organized content. The tracking and reporting features are very helpful. The kids love the variety of activities and being able to see their scores at the end of each session.

Anne McDonald, Special Ed. Lead Teacher
Keheley Elem, Marietta, Georgia

We use Essential Skills on a regular basis with 400 plus students. The Readiness Skills, Phonemic Awareness and Sight Words programs align nicely with the Georgia performance standards. The children catch on very quickly and feel very successful. We like the tracking and reporting features. We use the data when we have parent conferences to show progress and effort. This software provides excellent value and I highly recommend it to other teachers.

Debbie Hogan, Computer Teacher
Hood Avenue Primary School, Fayetteville, Georgia

The programs from Essential Skills are easy to use and easy for the students to focus on without any distractions. The curriculum skills are solid and taught in a logical, step by step manner. The children love the programs, particularly the real life pictures used for reinforcement. All of our teachers are very pleased with the programs. They are widely used with EIP students and in the special education classrooms as well. I highly recommend Essential Skills to other teachers.

Debbie Bailey, Technology Teacher
Crooked River Elementary, St Mary’s, Georgia

I love the programs from Essential Skills and have used them for the past six years. My students benefit from using the programs every day. The spelling programs even allow the kids to create custom word list dictated into the computer using their own voice. I highly recommend these programs to other teachers.

Gale Everett, ESOL Instructor
Southside Elem., Cairo, Georgia

My behavioral students like the programs from Essential Skills because they can work independently and successfully at their own level and rate of learning. I use these programs as a reward for students with behavioral problems and to help them meet their educational goals. The students are very engaged and focused when working with this software. The programs are very direct with not much room for getting off track.

Jamie Berger, Resource Teacher
Tritt Elementary, Atlanta, Georgia

The Essential Skills programs are excellent for RTI. The phonics programs have many activities to teach all the required phonics skills in a logical order of presentation with lots of practice and review. It is a strong program that targets all ability levels. The children love the programs and the reinforcement the program provides.

Lori Easterling, Kindergarten Teacher
Bramlett Elem., Auburn, Georgia

Essential Skills is a big part of my daily instruction. The program keeps the kids on task and guides them forward from skill to skill. Everything is aligned with the Georgia Performance Standards. These programs are a terrific supplement and reinforcement to our classroom teaching. This is easily the best skill development software I have seen for kids.

Dana Morris, Grade 1 Teacher
Portal Elementary, Portal, Georgia

My children love to use the Essential Skills programs. The children find the programs motivating because they are able to work independently and meet with success regardless of their ability level. The skills in these programs are completely aligned with our curriculum standards.

Elizabeth Meighan, Spec. Ed. Teacher
Mt. Airy, Georgia

We have Essential Skills programs in our computer lab. The Grade Two and Title I teachers love the programs. The kids really find the programs motivating and fun to use. The 2nd grade teacher asks the kids to achieve 80% or higher before going on to the next skill. Her kids are now all scoring in the 90s.

Joyce Finocchio, Computer Technologist
Murphy Elementary, House Springs, Missouri

I use Essential Skills programs in our remedial reading program for K - 3. We are a Reading First school. I also tutor and use the programs for 1st through 8th grades. The students seem to remember what they are learning because the programs are visual and do a good job of reinforcing the concepts taught.

Nina Huser, Remedial Reading Teacher
Lockwood Elementary, Lockwood, Missouri

Twenty-four classes in our school are using ESS programs to supplement and reinforce our Reading Counts. Both the regular classroom and Special Ed. are working with the programs. The students are very engaged with the software. We are a 4, 5, and 6 school, very focused on reading. We think the programs from Essential Skills are excellent.

Michelle Lindsay, Technology Instructor
Ozark Upper Elementary, Ozark, Missouri

First and second grade use ESS programs almost every day. They are user friendly and motivating. The skills taught go along with the state curriculum. I find that the programs are of high interest and motivating, especially for those students who are discouraged or inattentive.

Debra Ozias, Title I Reading Teacher
Crest Ridge Middle School, Centerview, Missouri

We were a targeted school in reading two years ago and I really believe that the Essential Skills programs played a significant role in helping to bring our scores up. Last year based on our Tennessee Comprehensive Academic Testing scores we were ranked the third highest school in the county.

Carol Chastain, Title I Reading
Rockford Elementary, Rockford, Tennessee

The children can manage the software themselves and the software returns them to where they left off the day before. I have nine classes of children and the fact that The Marks Manager is central for all the programs makes it easy for me to manage. This software absolutely makes a huge difference in the acquisition of their reading skills.

Paula Lambert, Title I Teacher
Cornersville Elementary, Cornersville, Tennessee

We use the programs on a regular basis with all our grade one and two students. I am really impressed with Essential Skills. I think that all the programs are very beneficial to the students and as a bonus, they love the software. We feel that these programs are a great complement to the classroom curriculum. There are many different approaches within each program to meet the different styles of our students. We have been more than pleased with the software. It has been a great supplemental tool for all of our students.

Anne Pierce, Title I Reading Teacher
Jackson Elementary, Kingsport, Tennessee

We use Essential Skills programs everyday with Kindergarten through grade five students. We now have about 20 titles. The programs are very user friendly and the students enjoy them immensely. Customer service and tech support is prompt, friendly and helpful. Teachers visit from other schools just to see these programs in use!

Rebecca Leifert, Technology Support Teacher
Doak Elementary, Greeneville, Tennessee

I love the programs from Essential Skills. It is the best software I have seen for sight word review, and reading comprehension skills. The programs are very user friendly and the kids never complain about being bored. I see definite measurable improvement in their acquisition of literacy skills. I am really pleased with it and use it every day.

Laura Barrett, Sp. Ed. & Technology Coordinator
North Elementary, Altamont, Tennessee

We have used the Essential Skills software everyday for at least five years with our students. The software runs without any problems on all our school networks. I highly recommend all of their programs. I like the ease of use of the Marks Manager and the ability to quickly create reports.

Dennis Bouchanan, Computer Coordinator
Springdale Elementary, Springdale, Tennessee

I love your programs! We have eight titles from Essential Skills. These programs provide thorough coverage of our literacy needs. The children get practical skill based instruction and I see lots of carryover to their classroom work. Our special needs children require that clean, uncluttered, straight forward approach to learning that these programs provide. The kids really enjoy the programs. They seem to know that they are actually learning to read and they appreciate that. Unquestionably, Essential Skills Software provides tremendous value for the money.

Kathy Ellis, Resource Teacher
Frazier Elementary, Dayton, Tennessee

I love the programs from Essential Skills. They are kid friendly and deliver the skills in a structured, sequential manner. The kids love the programs and all students are able to achieve. Every child in our school uses the software daily.

Lisa Rodgers, Computer Teacher
Ellen Myers Elementary, Harrogate, Tennessee

Our K-1 grades have started the Wilson Reading Fundations programs. We were thrilled to see how closely the Essential Skills programs align with Fundations. We use them every day. These programs are down and dirty. They really get to the nuts and bolts of learning!

Jennifer Jordan, Federal Projects Reading and Math
Mt. View Elementary, Etowah, Tennessee

We purchased six programs from Essential Skills five years ago. We are still using these programs on a daily basis with our students. Needless to say they have provided excellent value. The skills in these programs are aligned with our curriculum. Our children enjoy the programs and benefit greatly from working on them.

Cindy Windsor, Reading Specialist
Dan Mills School, Nashville, Tennessee

We use Reading Comprehension and Super Phonics on a regular basis. Essential Skills is the most highly used software in our school. Our students love Essential Skills! They don't feel like they are doing work, but they are actually learning as the programs teach and reinforce the skills in a fun way. They are appropriate for children of any ability level and they allow children to work independently at their own pace.

Janice Cope, Reading Interventionist
Midway School, New Tazewell, Tennessee

I really love the Essential Skills programs. They are colorful and fun for kids. The children can work independently and successfully at their own level and pace. These programs tie into all five essential components of Reading First. They enhance what is being taught in the classroom and we have seen marked improvements in student performance. I would highly recommend these programs to other teachers.

Kimberly McNab, Reading First Literacy Leader
Stratton Elementary, Nashville, Tennessee

The programs from Essential Skills are used in our computer lab three times per week by 13 classes. Even the Kindergarten children can use them. The programs are very engaging and user friendly for the teacher as well as the children. They are all about skill development. There is no fluff and no time wasting. It is good supplemental practice and reinforcement material for any classroom curriculum.

Susan Clarke, Literacy Leader
Parris South Elementary, Savannah, Tennessee

The Essential Skills programs allow the students to learn independently. They are easy to follow and the children pick up each day from where they left off. We are observing a definite improvement in their acquisition of reading skills particularly in sound blending.

Lulu Corbitt, Reading Intervention
Cheatham Park Elem, Springfield, Tennessee

The programs from Essential Skills cover all the skills that the students need. The children are always engaged and it is easy to see the steady progress the children are making. The tracking and reporting features are excellent! The skills in these programs complement and reflect what is being taught in the classroom.

Jeannette Massey, Intervention Teacher
Carthage Elem, Carthage, Tennessee

First we demonstrate the Essential Skills programs on the Smartboard, The children quickly learn how to use the programs and work independently on their skills. They are engaged and stay focused. It is easy to observe the progress students are making. The skills in the programs are in alignment and are a great supplement to what is being taught in the classroom. Essential Skills is a great low cost solution in times of tight budgets.

DeLisa Alsup, Intervention Teacher
Alexander Elem, Jackson, Tennessee

We use Essential Skills as a supplement for RTI tier 2. The programs are very child friendly. Readiness Skills for pre K is awesome! We have used Starfall in the past but it is impossible to find free stuff that is sponsor free or ad free. Readiness Skills covers many of the skills for pre K. This is a great value program!

Gayle Uhles, Literacy Leader
Union Heights Elem, Carthage, Tennessee

My ESL children have benefited greatly from using the Essential Skills Literacy programs. We have TECaliforniaP testing once a year as well as the ELDA. 75% of the Children in my reading and ESL class are making adequate yearly growth because of their work with the Essential Skills programs. I have used these programs for nine years with great success. The students learn quickly and are able to work independently at their own level and pace.

Christie Swayze, ESL Teacher
Thomas Intermediate, Shelbyville, Tennessee

Essential Skills programs are like having extra helping hands in the classroom. With these programs specific skills can be assessed and the data collection and reporting tools are excellent because everything has to be documented these days. My students love the programs and are retaining and generalizing the skills they learn. The extra practice helps them to learn and reinforce the skills they missed in the lower grades. All my students are able to work independently at their own pace and level of ability.

Billie Freeman, Resource Teacher
Gibbs Elementary, Knoxville, Tennessee

We are seeing true progress using the Essential Skills software Basic Skills series. Teachers are seeing documented improvements with our students.

Amy Kersten
Technology Coordinator

Essential Skills are the only computer based programs we use with our ELL students. They can work independently and the programs offer lots of good picture word associations. The progress monitoring and reporting features are excellent as well.

Lani Fujimoto, ELL Teacher
Puuhale Elementary School, Honolulu, Hawaii

My students use Essential Skills Software programs everyday. I use Reading Comprehension with 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. I incorporate it into my daily lesson plan. I would certainly say that it is impacting their reading. All of my 32 kids (3rd, 4th & 5th graders) passed their North Carolina End Grade Test.

Teresa Anderson, Special Education Teacher
Moss Hill Elementary, Kinston, North Carolina

ESS programs are some of the best programs I have found. Our students are using them at least once a week for 30 minutes. The programs are very, very user-friendly. Even the 1st graders can use them. I love the Marks Manager - it makes it easier for us to know what concepts they have mastered and what they need help with. I ordered 1 program to start with and once I saw the set up I ordered more. We now have 8 site licenses. I love the programs.

Teresa Ingram, Title I Teacher
Mars Hill Elementary, Marshall, North Carolina

Most of our K - 2 classes are using Essential Skills programs 30 minutes a week. Title I is using the programs with 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. The kids love the programs! I have just ordered more. I recommend the programs to others.

Doris Spencer, Computer Lab
Ponderosa Elementary, Fayetteville, North Carolina

We are using ESS programs in our literacy center. The kids use them every day and definitely like them - they don't realize they are learning. Our class has all different reading levels so we are using 3 different Leveled Reader programs.

Amanda Estes, Grade One Teacher
Blue Ridge Elementary, Warrensville, North Carolina

Our K - 2 students are using Essential Skills programs everyday. We have 6 site licenses. The Super Phonics programs are especially helpful in reinforcing their reading skills. The children find the programs very user-friendly. They love using the programs and they are really motivated by their own success.

Kathy Revels, Computer Teacher
Long Branch Elementary, Lumberton, North Carolina

I can't complement you enough on your software. Over 600 students are using your programs in our school, and they love it. They are enjoying learning while using these programs.

Benny Neely, Computer Lab Teacher
Oakboro Elementary, Oakboro, North Carolina

I use Essential Skills programs for assessment and to reinforce and complement the core teaching curriculum. They are very effective at teaching the basic skills required in language arts. The children enjoy the programs and can use them independently. I have more than 200 CDs of educational software and the programs from Essential Skills are by far my favorites.

Rebecca Henson, Special Education Resource
Farmer Elementary, Asheboro, North Carolina

The programs from Essential Skills are great for teaching the basic skills to children at all levels. The students are able to work at their own level and speed without a lot of supervision. The skills taught are in alignment with our core program curriculum. These programs make a real difference to our children.

Mrs. Shirley Kitt, Resource Teacher
Dabney Elementary, Henderson, North Carolina

We have programs from Essential Skills installed in all our classrooms for teachers of exceptional students. The children love using the programs because of the pace of reward and reinforcement provided. They work independently and successfully at their own level. These programs are an excellent supplement to what is being taught in the classroom.

Kerie O'Toole, Coordinator
Pasquotank Co S.D., Elizabeth City, North Carolina

The Essential Skills programs correlate nicely with our state requirements for language arts and math. They offer great practice and reinforcement of the skills we teach in the classroom. Our kids love the programs and they can work independently. All of the children in our school benefit from the support that these programs offer for practicing and reinforcing the basic skills.

Donna Steadman, Kindergarten Teacher
Mills Road Elementary School, Jamestown, North Carolina

The programs from Essential Skills provide comprehensive practice and reinforcement of basic, essential math and reading skills. I am using these programs daily with students of all ability levels from Grade One up to high school. Even my most reluctant learners like these programs because they are able to work independently at their own level and meet with success each step of the way. I am able to split my class into two groups and have half the class work in a focused and independent way on Essential Skills while I provide instruction for a smaller group

Marianela Ramos, Special Education Teacher
United South High School, Laredo, Texas

We use Essential Skills daily in our Special Ed. and resource programs. It reinforces SDAA and helps with IEP objectives. The students really enjoy the software and of course that makes it very effective.

Beverly Box, Resource and Special Education
Carrizo Springs Elementary, Carrizo Springs, Texas

Your programs are awesome. We are using them with our ESL students. They love the programs and we are seeing significant gains in their reading skills.

Karen Brown, ESL and Reading Teacher
Highland Park Elementary, Amarillo, Texas

I love your software. We use Super Phonics in our morning tutorial program. It is excellent for our third graders who are behind in their reading skills. These programs really keep their attention. They build the basic skills crucial to the requirements of the TAKS testing.

Gloria Payne, Title I Services
Richter Elementary, Dayton, Texas

We are using the Sight Words and Reading Comprehension programs daily. They are great for helping the kids develop automaticity. The Essential Skills programs correlate well with state standards. This software gives the kids the basic skills to prepare them for the state wide TAKS test at 3rd grade level.

Connie Smith, Title I Teacher
Simms Elementary, Bridge City, Texas

We use Essential Skills Software as supplement to the main curriculum. These programs have been very beneficial to our students. They are great skill building programs.

Jill Steen, Resource Teacher
Alvord Elementary, Alvord, Texas

The Essential Skills programs correlate directly to the state standards and prepare our students for the benchmark tests. We are using these programs daily throughout our primary classes. Our students love the software and they are really benefiting.

Valenda Brown, Grade Two Teacher
Patton Elementary School, Austin, Texas

My computer classes use Essential Skills Software on a regular basis in the lab. These programs are excellent skill builders and the reports are very helpful in analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the students.

Marla Gaines, Computer Teacher
Cumby Elementary, Cumby, Texas

We are using Essential Skills. It is wonderful. We use these programs for tutorials and remediation. The programs are very user friendly and the children always know where they left off. The students love these programs and can't wait to use them.

Carol Mauch, Grade Two Teacher
East Cliff Elementary, Portland, Texas

I am currently using your programs and have found them to be very effective. The multi-level aspect of the program is truly wonderful for my needs. I use the custom spelling program all of the time for review of the story words that I introduce. So few programs let you put in your own words so easily!

Linda Cushman, Teacher
John C. Webb Elementary, Navasota, Texas

I have used programs from Essential Skills with my students for several years. I like the way these programs teach the skills in a progressive, sequential, step by step way. They are easy for the children to use and they seem confident and motivated when using the programs. These programs are great for building and reinforcing vocabulary and reading comprehension skills.

Ms Diane Wann, Resource Teacher
Allen Elementary, Houston, Texas

I teach in the computer lab and Essential Skills programs are my favorites. I use them with our K through 3rd grade students on a daily basis. I love the variety for the kids and the way it keeps them motivated. The programs include an excellent range of skills, offering more than is required by the curriculum. They allow the children to work at their own level and pace and provide more basic skills practice than the children would typically get.

Kelly Rathburn, Computer Lab Assistant
O.M. Roberts Elementary, Lake Jackson, Texas

We have used Essential Skills every day for the past couple of years. The children enjoy using the programs and they get excited about working on them. They are aligned with our curriculum and offer excellent value. The children are motivated by the programs and they enjoy the independent and individualized learning experience that the programs provide. Everyone really likes this software.

Debbie Allen, Computer Lab Assistant
Belmar Elementary, Amarillo, Texas

I use the Sight Words and Phonemic Awareness software daily with my students. I like the skills that they teach and the programs are a good supplement to reinforce my classroom curriculum. They are very interactive and the students are motivated by the fast pace and variety of interesting activities. The programs allow the students to learn independently at their own level and pace. The marking and reporting system is easy to use. I highly recommend this software!

Jacque Baker, Reading Resource Teacher
Austin Elementary, Weatherford, Texas

We use Sight Words every day with our K-2 students. It is easy for the children to use and allows them to work independently at their own instructional level. It covers all of the important sight word skills and is highly effective at teaching these words to children. Essential Skills Sight Words is the main program that we use for teaching sight word recognition at our school.

Carrie Rollins, Grade One Teacher
La Mesa Elementary, Plainview, Texas

I use Super Phonics with the Kindergarteners, Phonemic Awareness with the grade ones and Grammar with the grade two students. The programs allow the advanced kids to move along quicker and the slower kids to work at their own pace, so that no one is being held back. The programs individualize the instruction for each student. The children are definitely learning the skills they need to be successful readers from using these programs.

Sunny Henry, Computer Lab Teacher
A P Beutel Elementary, Brazosport, Texas

I use Essential Skills with bilingual children and Special Ed. students on a daily basis. I have definitely seen an improvement in their reading and phonetic skills. The programs provide individualized and independent learning and guide the students through each level.

Noemi Espinoza, Resource Inclusion Teacher
Antonio M. Ochoa Elementary, Donna, Texas

Personally, I love the Essential Skills programs. I used them mainly for remediation, I really like Readiness Skills and Phonemic Awareness for first and second grade students with early reading difficulties. These programs definitely help the students learn the skills required for early reading. They are in alignment with our reading curriculum and teach the children the basics. That is what I am really looking for. As a bonus the children really look forward to being on these programs.

Caroline Stone, Grade 2 Teacher
O’Shea Keleher Elementary, ElPaso, Texas

I use your software all the time to supplement my program. Your software offers great practice and reinforcement for specific skills. The programs are very user friendly and my LD children have no difficulty working independently. They love the reward system and the feedback they get after each lesson. I see their test results improve weekly and really like the tracking and reporting features of the Essential Skills programs. It is easy to produce progress reports that can be shared with parents and teachers.

Andrea Colbert, Resource Teacher
Mayes Elementary, Denison, Texas

We use the Essential Skills programs twice each week with our grade one, two and three students. We really enjoy these programs. The phonics and reading programs are very comprehensive in all areas. They provide excellent supplementary reinforcement and practice for our classroom curriculum. All children regardless of ability level are able to work independently at their own level.

Sharon Wilbanks, Computer Teacher
Harmony Elementary, San Antonio, Texas

The Essential Skills programs are used with all of our students and are also one of our main interventions. They are widely used at all grade levels with perhaps 300-400 children weekly. They are being successfully used in the after school program with children who have attention problems. These programs keep the kids focused. Even at the end of the day when they are tired they are still very engaged with the programs. Our children have been making steady progress in their reading test scores and we attribute some of this progress to Super Phonics, Sight Words and Reading Comprehension from Essential Skills. These programs are very versatile for all students regardless of ability. They are even used for enrichment with some of our Kindergarten and grade one children.

Dana Chamberlain, Grade One Team Leader
Dr. Joe Ward Elementary, San Antonio, Texas

The programs from Essential Skills are very effective skill based programs. We like that the programs are self driven and that the students can work independently, no matter what level they are at. When used in combination with our other teaching tools they are very effective. We are very pleased with this software!

Nicki Adams, Grade Four Teacher
Hedley Consolidated, Hedley, Texas

I have used several Essential Skills programs and I know how excellent they are at reinforcing the basic skills. The software is basically designed to reach all learning modalities. Children at any ability level can work independently on them.

Julia Peter, Resource Teacher
Roosevelt Elementary, Houston, Texas

These programs are very effective for RTI tier 2 and 3 students providing lots of extra practice and repetition in the basic skills. All of my students love these programs and work independently at their own level and pace. Essential Skills is like having another teacher in the room to provide individualized instruction. The reports are easy to access and you can see at a glance how students are progressing through the skills.

Susan Delaney, Resource Teacher
Sidney Lanier Elementary, Dallas, Texas

Both our teachers and students like the programs from Essential Skills. The children love that the graphics, colors and backgrounds are always changing and there are lots of different types of reinforcement. The teachers like the depth of the content and that the skills reflect what is being taught in the classroom. The programs represent very good value for the money. Also, the tech department people are available, supportive and helpful.

Nancy Olson, Technology Facilitator
Deer Creek Elementary, Crowley, Texas

We like the flash drive/memory stick version of the Essential Skills programs because they are portable and the entire program is stored and run from them. These programs offer most of the skills my students need in Language Arts. The students love using the programs and never complain about their time with Essential Skills. This is a reasonably priced learning tool that is making a difference for my students.

Sharon Thomas, Reading Specialist
Commonwealth Elementary, Sugar Land, Texas

We love your software and have used it daily for many years in Sp. Ed. and in the regular classroom. It is appropriate for children at all levels. Every child, regardless of ability can be successful and work independently. I have never had a child get bored with these programs. One boy used to miss three days per week and since he started on Essential Skills he shows up early every day to work on the computer. The children are actually learning the skills they need.

Kathleen Moore, Special Education Teacher
Pine Forest Elementary, Vidor, Texas

The Essential Skills programs thoroughly cover all the basic skills in each subject area at each grade level. The kids enjoy these programs and when they enjoy doing a program with basic academic skills they are going to learn from it. We would highly recommend this software.

Brenda Tubbs, Computer Lab Assistant
Northwest Elementary, Brownwood, Texas

We use Essential Skills programs daily. The children really enjoy their time on Essential Skills and are quickly mastering their math facts with the Mad Minute math. These programs are engaging and easy to use. Also, there is great tech support backing up this dependable software.

Denise Salmon, Curriculum Technologist
Crestview Elementary, Wolfforth, Texas

We use Essential Skills every day. Our first and second graders love it. Our students can practice the skills that they need regardless of their ability level. These programs give immediate feedback, great reinforcement and track student progress. I would rate this software a ten out of ten and look forward to purchasing more.

Elenor Maldonado, Computer Lab Teacher
Alarcon Elementary, San Elizario, Texas

We use Essential Skills daily in the reading lab with our students. These programs are very user friendly and easy to use. The activities are designed for all the learning modalities and they reinforce the skills being taught in the classroom. On a scale from 1-10 I would rate this software a 10.

Debbie Qualls, Title I Teacher Reading Coord.
Spring Hill Primary School, Longview, Texas

I love the software from Essential Skills. There is lots of practice with a variety of activities utilizing different learning styles for each concept taught. The children definitely are benefitting from learning with these programs. The programs are easy to use and provide valuable progress reports. The children like it because of the great reinforcement and the fact that they can work independently at their own level and pace.

Anita Francis, Special Education Teacher
South Belt Elementary, Houston, Texas

Essential skills programs are very much aligned with our curriculum. The programs are very comprehensive in their coverage of basic skills for Language Arts and Math. The teachers bring their students to the lab and assign the program and skills that are currently being covered in their classroom.

Elasa Ochoa, Computer Lab Aide
Yorktown Elementary, Yorktown, Texas

We have won the Blue Ribbon award in our state for significant improvement in test scores and we believe that Essential Skills had a significant role to play in our achieving this award.

Judy Walker
Principal

Reading Comprehension and Sight Words are used in our school. The more the students use the programs, the more their reading scores go up!

Alma Click
Teacher

All students K-4 use the software and have been using Essential Skills Software for years. The skills in the literacy programs correlate to the state standards.

Dale Layne, Principal
Principal, Principal, Idaho

We use the software from Essential Skills everyday. These programs help prepare the students for State testing because they correlate so well with the Core Content Standards for the State. I recommend these programs to other schools.

Dale Layne, Principal
Principal, Principal, Idaho

The teachers absolutely love this software and the children beg to go on these fabulous programs. These programs exceed the needs of the children. When we switched to using Essential Skills Software our costs went down significantly from using the Waterford program. Kids absolutely love the graphics. These programs were developed by teachers who really do understand how children learn. Class work has improved in the area of decoding and word recognition skills. Test score improvements on the IRI can be in part attributed to these wonderful programs. As a bonus the computer and keyboarding skills gained on these programs makes the children more ready for ISAT testing.

Deanne Dye, Principal
Principal, Principal, Idaho

I use these programs quite a bit and think that they are very beneficial to Title I students and regular classroom kids as well. We are very happy with the results. We feel that these programs are having a direct impact on the progress of our children

Trisha Freeman, Title I Teacher
Borah Elementary, Coeur D’Alene, Idaho

My children use the reading comprehension programs daily. These programs prepare my students for computerized testing. They become familiar with working with text on a screen. The activities following each story are very well done such as building vocabulary, typing, visual memory, and auditory skills. These programs have good remedial content for older kids in 4th and 5th grade as well. Even our intermediate teachers use the comprehension programs for their weaker students.

Kim Yearsley, Grade Two Teacher
Hayden Lake Elementary, Hayden, Idaho

Our students really like the programs from Essential Skills. I like that there is not a lot of cutesy stuff, just good skill building activities with lots of practice and reinforcement. I really feel that these programs have made a big difference.

Rhonda Doman, Teaching Assistant
Raft River Elementary, Malta, Idaho

We have been using the Essential Skills Software programs for years to help the children develop critical language arts and math skills. Our students love using the software and are motivated by their success. Our teachers love the software because they see that children at all grade levels are benefiting from the organized skill development of the programs.

Roy Hansen, Computer Teacher
Council Elementary School, Council, Idaho

In my classroom I have 15 students ranging in age from 14 to 18 years old with severe disabilities including cognitive impairments, Down's syndrome, autism and multiple handicaps. My students love the programs from Essential Skills. It is great to have programs that engage the students and keep them focused, allowing me to work one on one with others. These programs are ideal for the classroom.

Virginia Welton, Extended Resource Teacher
Canfield Middle School, Coeur Dalene, Idaho

I used Reading Comprehension Levels 2 and 3 with an individual student. The programs really kept his attention and I felt his comprehension improved. I would definitely recommend your software.

Jack Thorpe, Special Education Teacher
Sidney High School, Sidney, Nebraska

We are utilizing the programs with both Special Ed. and the regular classrooms. The students and teachers like the software. We had single user licenses and we upgraded to site licenses.

Tom Becker, Superintendent/Principal
Superintendent/Principal, Superintendent/Principal, Nebraska

My teachers love it. In primary, especially K-1 they are spending 30 minutes a day on ESS programs. The 1st grade teachers say these are their favorite programs. I have recommended ESS to the Diocese.

Valerie Able, Principal
Principal, Principal, Nebraska

The kids love it. The 1st grade teachers love your software and swear by it. It really reinforces what they are learning in the classroom. Our K-3 students use these programs 4 days a week.

Jaymi Victor, Computer Lab Teacher
Lourdes Central Catholic School, Nebraska City, Nebraska

Our 1st graders are using the programs. The skills are very useful. We think the programs are very good. Our teachers like ESS programs and the students enjoy them as well. We think they are very beneficial.

Liz Dalton, Media Specialist
Evelyn Hamlow Elementary, Waverly, Nebraska

We've been happy with the way ESS titles run on our network. Your programs seem to run without trouble. I appreciate the way they install into one folder on the server and that we can move that folder from one server to another without having to reinstall it. From a technology coordinator's perspective they are good programs. The comments I have heard from the classroom is that they work well and the kids enjoy using them. Overall we have been very happy with them.

Noel Erskine, Technology Coordinator
Norris School District 160, Firth, Nebraska

They are great programs. The kids like them and they are easy to use. We used Super Phonics to demonstrate growth for Kindergartens and because of that growth we were able to go to a full day Kindergarten. We use the programs everyday up to grade 3 and for Special Ed. kids in 1st to 5th grade we use them four times a week.

Sharon Gutierrez, Computer Technologist
Shell Creek Elementary, Columbus, Nebraska

The skills and practice in these programs are great! We have used Essential Skills programs for several years. They are very comprehensive in covering the skills and also user friendly for the students. The children like the interface and they never get bored with using the programs. These programs offer excellent reinforcement and review!

Brenda Roerty, Media Specialist
Linden Elementary, Fremont, Nebraska

We have been using Essential Skills programs several times a week for several years with our Kindergarten and first grade students. The programs we use are excellent for developing and reinforcing word recognition, phonics and early reading skills in our students. Each program has a simple and efficient system for tracking and reporting student achievement in the specific skill areas.

Sheri Shure, Computer Coordinator
Platte Center Elementary School, Platte Center, Nebraska

We like the curriculum aspect of the Essential Skills programs. These programs build skills sequentially, in a step by step fashion. Our K-3 students love using these programs. They are also very good for our weaker students who can work with confidence at their own level and pace,

Jamie Boehler, Technology Aide
East Elementary, Minden, Nebraska

I have never found software of this outstanding caliber for the same price. Our students love the Essential Skills programs! The programs cover the skills sequentially and logically. The software is used on a daily basis by 350 students. The students are always excited and successful using these programs.

Peggy Cassell, Media Specialist
Bell Field Elementary, Fremont, Nebraska

We have used these programs daily in the computer lab for three years with our K-4 students. Regardless of ability level all students can work independently at their own level and pace. The Essential Skills programs correlate very well with our curriculum. They and are a great supplement to reinforce and build upon our classroom instruction.

Crystal Gose, Computer Teacher K-8
North American Martyrs School, Lincoln, Nebraska

We use Super Phonics, Sight Words and Reading Comprehension a couple of times a week with our Title I children. We also use the software as a reward for our classrooms if the children have kept up with all their assignments. The children are making measurable progress using the software and the skills in the programs correlate well with VSOL.

Sherry Hale, Title I Teacher
North Tazewell Elementary, Tazewell, Virginia

We love the programs. I have been using them for tutoring and the kids have improved the way we hoped. The installation was simple and quick and we started using the programs immediately.

Tara Hostetler, Teacher
Blueridge Christian School, Bridgewater, Virginia

These programs are great! I use at least one of the Essential Skills programs every day. Most definitely the children are benefiting. The skills taught in the literacy software correlate highly with the state standards. I highly recommend it to everyone!

Shannon Noble, Teacher
Rocky Gap Elementary, Rocky Gap, Virginia

Our teachers thoroughly approve of and love Essential Skills Software. The programs are just fantastic! They are very thorough in going through the math and reading processes and in reinforcing the skills. It is very rewarding for the students and they are making measurable gains from using these programs. We use the software to reinforce the skills and to backup what the teachers have taught in preparation for the VSOL.

Linda Ross, Technology Assistant
Chincoteague Elementary, Chincoteague, Virginia

Sight Words is a program that I really found to be beneficial in my first grade so we ordered it for the full lab. This software is the answer to teaching sight word recognition skills. The repetition and feedback from the program was excellent. It has a very effective reward and reinforcement system. It is very well organized and easy for the children to understand.

Sylvia Coleman, Grade One Teacher
Boydton Elementary, Boydton, Virginia

I use Reading Comprehension once or twice a week with students having reading difficulties. It is an important part of their reading program. This software is great for reinforcing the skills that need to be strengthened. The Reading Comprehension programs are having a significant positive impact on the students' reading ability.

Adonno Moreno, Reading Specialist
Sweethaven Christian Academy, Portsmouth City, Virginia

The Essential Skills programs are really great! I see an improvement when the children have been using the software for even a short while. I have seen obvious improvements in the word recognition skills of the children who have been using the Sight Words program. Navigating the programs and printing reports is a breeze.

Christine Majette, Technology Teacher
Nottoway Elementary, Sedlay, Virginia

I use the High-Low Reading Programs with my remedial kids in grades six and seven. The kids really enjoy the programs and have been gaining confidence. I am so pleased with their improvement.

Julia Todd, Remedial Teacher
Jolliff Middle School, Chesapeake, Virginia

Our first grade teachers were looking for a computer based program to help improve the students' sight word vocabulary and spelling. We purchased a site license for the Essential Skills: Sight Words program and installed it for student use on the classroom computers as well as in the lab. The students immediately benefitted from the program and responded well to the positive feedback. We were so happy that our students' sight word recognition and spelling increased that we purchased the Sight Words 2 program.

Cathy Iadeluca, Instructional Technology Resource Teacher
Nokesville Elementary, Virginia

We used the Essential Skills math programs in our Grade 4 after school tutoring program. The students always enjoyed working on them and the variety of activities kept them interested. Our tutoring program required pre and post testing. We saw improved scores and in some cases dramatically improved scores at the conclusion of this program.

Beth Perry, Instructional Technology Resource Teacher
Richmond County Schools, Virginia

These programs offer an orderly continuum of skills that helps improve test scores in reading and math. We highly recommend this software!

Cincy Pucheu
Lead Inclusion Teacher

Since using Essential Skills programs on a regular basis our ISTEP scores have gone up in language arts and math.

Donna Burroughs, Teacher
Webster Elementary, Plymouth, Indiana

We are very pleased with our Essential Skills programs. If we could rate Super Phonics it would be our most worn out program, as it is used so much. Administratively, Essentials Skills programs are by far my favorites. Classrooms can be imported very easily into the system. Keep up the great work!

Robin Lusk, Teacher
Fishers Elementary, Fishers, Indiana

We use ESS programs every week in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades and have noticed performance gains in the students using the software. The teachers and students both love the programs.

Jana Jones, Teacher
St. John’s Lutheran School, Peru, Indiana

Our students use the programs all the time. Our IST scores have gone up.

Susan Schwartz, Teacher
Cloverdale Elementary, Cloverdale, Indiana

Our second grade students are using the programs. I have been getting positive feedback from the teachers - enough that I have ordered more programs.

Lisa Royal, Teacher
Topeka Elementary, Topeka, Indiana

We use Essential Skills programs in our computer lab as an add-on to the classroom curriculum. We have looked at the students' test scores and have noticed definite performance gains from using this software.

Rosalee Kelley, Technology Coordinator
Lincoln Elementary, Evansville, Indiana

The kids really enjoy the programs. They got bored with other phonics programs but not with Super Phonics. Now they say 'It's my day to be on the computer!'

Ann Loveless, Teacher
Western Primary, Russiaville, Indiana

We have six Essential Skills programs which are used on a regular basis. The software has played a significant role in the performance gains with our students.

Don Beck, Teacher
Waverly Elementary, Martinsville, Indiana

I use the Reading Comprehension programs for teaching specific reading skills. Each story has comprehension, vocabulary and language activities which allow me to pull out a variety of ways to work with the students. The kids take to the programs very well and I am seeing improvements in their performance.

Cathy Bremmer, Computer Teacher
St. Paul School, Sellersburg, Indiana

Essential Skills programs are effective for teaching basic skills. The activities use many different approaches to teach and reinforce each skill. As a bonus the kids love learning with these programs.

Phyllis Pattengale, Reading First Coach
Pine Village Elementary, Pine Village, Indiana

Our teachers and students love your programs. I have seen a tremendous performance gains especially in our Kindergarten and first grades. One student in particular started in September not knowing any English and now knows all of his basic English vocabulary. It is the practice that your programs offer that helped him to improve so much.

Catherine Davis, Computer Coordinator
Bennett Elementary, Sun Valley, Nevada

Our 1st and 2nd grade students are using Phonemic Awareness for one hour a week. It is definitely helping them. The students are very motivated by the success they are having and really like using the program.

Michelle Blake, Computer Technologist
West Wendover Elementary, West Wendover, Nevada

We couldn't be more pleased with our student's success at Yerington Elementary School. We have become an Exemplary Turn Around school in Nevada! We have done many great things and one of them is how we implement Essential Skills software. We have matched Essential Skills software to the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) content strands. We find out where a student is struggling and match the Essential Skills programs to that strand for remediation. Students' RIT scores in those strands have greatly improved also increasing their overall RIT score! Students are getting the targeted remediation they need. Essential Skills matches our state standards and MAP Descartes wonderfully. The best part is the students love the software and are increasing their academic skills in the process!

Pamela Tognoli, Literacy Specialist
Yerington Elementary, Yerington, Nevada

Grades 1, 2 and 3 students are using the Reading Comprehension programs every week. I feel the programs play a significant role in the development of their reading skills. Our students find ESS programs motivating and user friendly.

Madelon Isbell, Teacher
Roy Gomm Elementary, Reno, Nevada

All the teachers in the school are using Essential Skills programs with their students. The kids have been improving their literacy skills and having fun at the same time. Your programs are an excellent value.

G. Monnett, Teacher
Virgin Valley Elementary, Mesquite, Nevada

We have all of the Essential Skills math programs in our school. They are wonderful for the students to practice their math skills. We use them in second, third and fourth grade. Last year we did very well on our testing and I think Essential Skills gave us that boost. The students get exposed to the entire math curriculum using these programs and all of the skills are on our state test.

Maxine Emm, K-4 Technology Teacher
Silver Springs Elementary, Silver Springs, Nevada

I use Essential Skills programs two or three times a week with my special education students. They can work independently and successfully at their own level. The activities address lots of different learning styles. I can see that the students are learning and benefiting from these programs. They are making measurable progress and enjoying the learning experience.

Nicki Backman, Resource Teacher
Joseph Bowler Elementary, Bunkerville, Nevada

My children have made major gains on their MAP test (Measure of Academic Progress) and I attribute this in large part to Essential Skills Software. These computer programs provide a good bridge between classroom instruction and computer based testing. Essential Skills teaches the students in a systematic way how to respond to the questions and problems that appear on the screen. This has made a very positive and powerful impact on the academic self esteem and success of our students. In my mind these programs are invaluable.

Janet Price, Third Grade Teacher
Sutro Elementary, Dayton, Nevada

All teachers are concerned with time management and I have found a way to handle this problem using Essential Skills Software. Limited readers can be using the software during independent reading time and when students come back from the resource room in the middle of a lesson they can also go directly to their work on Essential Skills. The programs are very user friendly and the children work independently at their own ability level. One teacher is convinced that one of her students now loves math and reading because she is so motivated by her success using Essential Skills. The programs align with state standards, the NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) and the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress Testing). We use Essential Skills to reinforce the strands necessary for each grade level. My kids simply can't get enough of these programs!

Sherry Kunzweiler, Grade 4 Teacher
Lahontan Elementary, Fallon, Nevada

I absolutely love Essential Skills programs. They teach skills very sequentially and don't have a lot of bells and whistles. They really reinforce what we do in the classroom. The kids are very independent on the programs. I am moving to a brand new school and will be ordering the programs for that school.

Katharyn McDonnell, Special Education
Peter Kirk Elementary, Kirkland, Washington

Essential Skills programs are used everyday by our Primary & ELL teachers. The programs were also well received when I was in the Kent School District. The students take to the programs like ducks to water! They are very self-engaging. The programs take no introduction. It is an effortless way have the children practice and reinforce important skills and saves valuable time for the teachers.

Sherrie Conway, Grades 3-5 Teacher
Silver Lake Elementary, Federal Way, Washington

I use the Super Phonics and Sight Words programs with different groups of children everyday. This is great supplemental material to our Houghton Mifflin intervention program. It is closely aligned with the curriculum. These programs offer a wide variety of auditory, visual and tactile learning activities. There are great sound blending activities throughout the phonics program. The Sight Words program really helps develop fluency. The children would use this software all the time if they could. They never tire of it!

Mary Norton, Title I Teacher
Clover Creek Elementary, Tacoma, Washington

We use Essential Skills Software regularly. They are used in 1st and 2nd grade extensively. We assess the students as they go along and have seen real growth. We love the programs.

Brian Heinzerling, Teacher
Parkway Elementary, Clarkston, Washington

We are excited about ESS programs and use them daily.

Laura Creekman, Teacher
Bernice Vossbeck Elementary, Lynden, Washington

We use Essential Skills programs as a supplement to the classroom curriculum. We are working with struggling math students and they enjoy the programs.

Candy Hagen, Teacher
Mansfield School, Mansfield, Washington

Title I reading students are using ESS programs twice a week. We have seen pretty substantial growth in their number of words per minute. I really think it is working! The programs maintain their interest. I am also impressed at how their typing skills have improved.

Miriam Mehl, Teacher
Whitney Elementary, Anacortes, Washington

ESS Sight Words is used daily by our students from pre-school to grade one and we are seeing terrific gains.

Cathy Thackery, Teacher
Peshastin-Dryden Elementary, Peshastin, Washington

Using programs from Essential Skills allows us to assign units of work specific to the skill that is required. The skills reflect and reinforce the classroom program. Our children love using Essential Skills and are able to work independently and at their own level. I would highly recommend these programs to other teachers.

Linda Lawrence, Para Educator
Lakes Elementary, Olympia, Washington

These programs are making a big difference for the adults in terms of regaining their cognitive abilities. Our testing shows that they are making solid gains. Essential Skills is one of our main tools for these disabled adults.

Lori Yurick
Teaching Assistant

Our special education teachers love Essential Skills software. We use it daily with students at all grade levels. Even our older children don't feel embarrassed using the software. It appeals to kids of all ages. The children love to show you their progress and they never tire of the programs.

Michele Tardy, Primary Special Education
Durkin Park Elementary, Chicago, Illinois

We use Essential Skills software every day. Sight Words in particular is a favorite program. It is very colorful with lots of activity types for different learning styles. I never have a problem with the children not wanting to use the software. The children find it easy to use and there is no training involved. Even my youngest students can use the software. We love the auditory feedback that the program offers and the children also like being able to see their scores each day.

Michaelene Kusz, Special Education
St. Constance School, Chicago, Illinois

Essential Skills Software is very supportive to our curriculum. It correlates well with what is going on in the classroom. The menu systems are easy to use and the programs are flexible and adaptable to the instructional needs of each classroom. All programs are integrated which allows quick and easy assessment of what students have accomplished. It also reduces the time to add other programs without requiring additional student Idaho's and setup information. The kids love using the software and our teachers feel very positive about how these programs complement the curriculum.

Bob Kormorech, Federal Program Director/Technology Coordinator
Meridian SD, Mounds, Illinois

Our teachers love the fact that the programs track the children's progress and they can pinpoint problem areas. You can walk into a room when the students are working on the programs and hear a pin drop! The children love the immediate feedback. We have invited other buildings to see these programs and they have all purchased them.

Nancy Heppner, Teacher
Mark Twain Elementary, Alton, Illinois

We are so happy with your programs and our technical department loves how they integrate.

Barbara Jacobs, Teacher
Lena-Winslow CSD #202, Lena, Illinois

We pre-test and post test and have definite improvements in both word recognition and phonics skills. The Title I Teacher uses Essential Skills programs daily for remedial students.

Judy Pharis, Teacher
Cornell Elementary, Cornell, Illinois

We use Sight Words for 1st and 2nd grade and Reading Comprehension for grades 2 and 3 on a regular basis. Both the students and teachers love them.

Roberta Thomas, Teacher
Petersburg Elementary, Petersburg, Illinois

Essential Skills programs are used by our primary grades. The feedback that I get from the teachers is that they see an improvement with the students from quarter to quarter. The teachers love being able to customize spelling lists. Both the product and content are very good. They are the best programs I have seen available.

Charlotte Farell, Teacher
Seneca North Elementary, Seneca, Illinois

The vocabulary program is an effective way to develop and broaden vocabulary skills. The Super Phonics and Sight Words programs are really great for newcomers to the country. These programs are easy to use, the kids really enjoy the activities and we use them all the time!

Diane Atkinson, Computer Tech. Coordinator
Hedges Elementary School, Chicago, Illinois

We love your programs, and don't want to use anything else!

LoAnn Orr, Teacher
Brown County Elem., Mt.Sterling, Illinois

Our primary kids really like your programs. We use your software every day in grades one and two. The children immediately feel successful and are motivated by their success. We definitely see significant improvement in developing early reading skills from using this software. A good tech support system is very important and the tech support from Essential Skills has been excellent. I absolutely recommend these programs to other schools.

Judy Wedryk, Grade One Teacher
Sacred Heart School, Chicago, Illinois

Essential Skills is a program that our moderate/severe cognitively challenged students have started using and they are all smiles. It is easy for them to navigate and complete the lessons. They wear headphones and the visual/auditory reinforcements are wonderful. I also found it extremely user-friendly when I entered the student groups, student names and teacher names. I am very impressed with the reports I can generate for our Illinois Alternate Assessment Portfolios. I look forward to watching the happy students who are working on this software. Finally, a program for Special Needs students!

Gayle M. Ryan, Technology Integration
Ray Graham Training Center, Chicago, Illinois

Our lower and upper grades are very fond of the programs from Essential Skills Software. Our older grades use Spelling Stumpers 5-9 in several ways. The teachers put in their own customized word lists for students as well as using the word lists within the program. The program does an excellent job of providing independent activities to teach spelling skills. We also have Super Phonics and Sight Words for our primary grades. This software is used a lot. It is easy to use, teaches the specific skills in a logical sequential manner and provides excellent value for the money.

Janet Kennedy, Software Coordinator
St. Anthony of Padua School, Effingham, Illinois

I have used Super Phonics, Reading Comprehension and Reading Comprehension Level 2 for several years. My students really enjoy using the programs. These programs offer the opportunity for individualized instruction and independence for hesitant learners and learning disabled students. They are easy to use and give excellent reinforcement and feedback. They are better priced than most programs and offer much more for the money.

Jan Burger, Special Education Teacher
Stueben Elementary, Kankakee, Illinois

Phonemic Awareness, Super Phonics and Super Phonics Level 2 from Essential Skills do the best job of reviewing and reinforcing pre-reading, phonics and reading skills of all the software I've previewed and used. My teachers are very, very happy with these applications. These programs offer lots of practice and repetition with many different auditory, visual and tactile approaches. The kids are always fully engaged in the programs and never complain. We also love the versatility of the programs. They are non-linear and not too cutesy, so we can use them with students at all levels.

Sharon Carr, Computer Teacher
Lincoln Elementary, River Forest, Illinois

These programs are very user friendly. They are great at keeping the kids' attention and the students enjoy using them. Your assessment programs provide accurate grade equivalents and skill assessments. I use the printouts at parent-teacher conferences. We did a little research using the Sight Words program, and our findings show that the children made substantial gains, and that their retention rate was excellent.

Gerry Bryak, Reading Teacher
Alden-Hebron Elementary, Hebron, Illinois

We love your software! We use the first three Reading Comprehension programs, Sight Words, and Phonemic Awareness every day. The students really enjoy using the software and there are lots of different activities for all the learning styles. The programs are suitable for children functioning at different levels and our students show strong evidence of retaining the reading skills being taught in the programs. The skills are in alignment with our curriculum and the programs are useful in preparing our students for the ISAT state testing. Our teachers and students love this software and we are thrilled to have it!

Sheila Dobbs, Computer Paraeducator
Adams Elementary School, Quincy, Illinois

The programs from Essential Skills meet the needs of many types of learners and we use them to help differentiate instruction for our students. They correlate with our curriculum and are an excellent supplement to reinforce the skills taught in the classroom. As a bonus, the kids never complain. They love the variety of activities and the reinforcement.

Jill Kocsis, Computer Lab Teacher
W.S. Beaupre School, Aurora, Illinois

Our teachers love using the programs from Essential Skills. The programs are skill based and methodically teach and reinforce in a way that engages the children to learn. We consider Essential Skills Software one of the most reputable software companies. We have never experienced tech support issues and we love the tracking and reporting features of the Marks Manager that comes with each program.

Sheila Watson, Library and Media Coordinator
Pekin S.D. 108, Pekin, Illinois

We find the Essential Skills programs to be excellent for our Pre K to grade two students. Any software where many levels of children can work independently on specific skill development without teacher assistance is good. The activities and skills have a lot of variety and are well paced. The programs always take the students back to where they left off previously. They offer good reinforcement and practice for what we are teaching.

Mrs. Sharon Gahlbeck, Grade One Teacher
White Swan Elementary, Rockford, Illinois

We consider Essential Skills to be one of the most reputable and reliable software companies.

Sheila Watson, Library and Media Coordinator
Peking School District, Pekin, Illinois

We use Essential Skills daily. The programs are very user friendly for kids and allow them to work independently. The skills accurately reflect what is being taught in the classroom. The activities keep the children's focus and interest while practicing and reinforcing their basic skills in reading and math.

Pat Harkins, 1st grade Teacher
Lincoln Elementary, Highland Park, Illinois

We love the programs from Essential Skills. Four Title I Teachers in our school use the software on a regular basis every week. The Reading Comprehension programs are loaded with content are great for practicing and reinforcing what has been taught in the classroom. Super Phonics and the other reading programs correlate perfectly with our reading curriculum and Title I program. These programs have made a difference in remediate students weaknesses. Also, the students love the programs and look forward to using them.

Denise Murray, Title I Reading Teacher
William E. Lancaster Elementary, Salem, New Hampshire

We use the Essential Skills programs on a daily basis. We love the logical progression and the way each skill is reinforced before moving to the next one. The programs are very clean and not over stimulating or gamey, yet they have good reward and reinforcement for the children.

Michelle Plourde, Computer Teacher
Woodland Heights School, New Hampshire

My students love these programs! They are perfect for motivating special education students.

Linda Payne, Special Education Teacher
Green Bank Elementary, Green Bank, West Virginia

Our remedial readers benefit greatly from using this software daily. I have noticed an increase in their reading fluency since using Sight Words from Essential Skills Software.

Judy Jerden, Title I Teacher
Jane Lew Elementary, Jane Lew, West Virginia

We use your programs everyday. We are very happy with the success that the kids have been having. I recommend your software to others whenever I can. I have even suggested it at the state level. The value of the programs for the price is unmatchable. I want to purchase all of your programs when I have more funding available. Your customer service is excellent and I have never needed your technical support.

Barbara Deal, Title I Teacher
Sherman Elementary, Comfort, West Virginia

We use these programs all the time. The kids like them and they are very student and teacher friendly. The programs are colorful and the skill activities are age and learning appropriate. They provide a good variety of time tested practices for building literacy skills.

Linda Rader, Title I Teacher
Cherry River Elementary, Richwood, West Virginia

We love the Essential Skills Math programs because they move the children from one skill to the next in a step by step manner and they always start the children where they left of in the previous session.

Patricia Cox, Computer Lab Teacher
Summersville Elementary, Summersville, West Virginia

We purchased four site licenses for each of 17 schools in our district. The Essential Skills literacy software fits perfectly with the state content standards for our reading program. Our teachers and students absolutely love this software!

Robin Beamer, Library Media Specialist
Ceres Elementary School, Bluefield, West Virginia

We use the Sight Words program regularly and particularly like it because it gives the children opportunities to learn the words in each modality. The children really enjoy the software when they complete an assignment and fill in a picture. This software is significantly helping the children with word recognition.

Jo Ann Gaspersich, Grade One Teacher
Brushfork Elementary, Bluefield, West Virginia

My students use Super Phonics and Sight Words, at least twice a week. The programs are user friendly, easy for the kids to navigate through, and teachers can readily call up the reports. In my kindergarten class these programs have played an important role in the gains the children have made.

Colleen Folger, Teacher/Chair Technology Committee
Boreman Elem., Middlebourne, West Virginia

We use Essential Skills Software on a daily basis. These programs are great! They are interactive and they really keep the students' attention. They are perfect for our students who do not have their needs met in a typical classroom setting. The programs provide accurate student progress reporting and feedback in a user friendly way.

Kim Mutterback, Title I Teacher
Straley Elementary, Princeton, West Virginia

Essential Skills provides excellent reinforcement of basic reading and phonics skills. The students can easily use the programs independently and they love to keep track of their progress. These programs are an excellent tool to supplement and reinforce the skills that I teach.

Conchita Rubio, Resource Teacher
Winchester Ave. Elementary, Martinsburg, West Virginia

My first and second grade teachers really like the programs. Super Phonics is used on a regular basis in the classroom and in the computer lab. It is a great reinforcement tool. Essential Skills programs are a good value and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to other teachers.

Tina Evans, Grade One Teacher
Gihon Elementary, Parkersburg, West Virginia

These programs have had a major impact on the improved Mississippi Curriculum Test scores with my students. Their Connecticut scores have gone up at least one level each year. The children love using these programs and they are anxious to get on them every day.

Sandra Howard
Special Education Teacher

These programs are highly motivating. I love the way the children are totally engaged. Their test results are showing significant gains in sight word memory and reading comprehension.

Dena Bradford
Computer Lab Teacher

I work with students who have committed adult crimes. I had a boy who was 18 and could not read at all. He had been in TMR classes all of his life. Currently he is reading at the second grade, third month level thanks to your reading software!

Cynthia Corkern PhD
Juvenile Teacher

The kids really enjoy using the programs from Essential Skills. We bought the programs for our K-1 students and we are happy with the results. You really can't find similar programs that are so economical.

Bob Stephenson, Principal
Principal, Principal, Maryland

Essential Skills Software has made a difference in our school. The students and teachers love the software. We feel that these programs are having a direct and positive impact on the progress of our students.

Mrs. Palumbo, Principal
Principal, Principal, New Jersey

This software has been very helpful in preparing the children in for the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJ ASK). Many of the activities in these programs correlate with the state assessment.

Alfonzo Tony, Teacher
Woodbine Elementary, Woodbine, New Jersey

The Reading Comprehension programs are excellent! The stories are very well written, and the illustrations and auditory cues guarantee success for early readers.

Betsy Walker, Computer Teacher
St. John Evangelist School, Bergenfield, New Jersey

We use these programs with all of our basic skills students. We have noticed significant standardized testing gains with these students. This is attributable in part to the regular use of Essential Skills Software. The students really enjoy using the programs and that makes it a whole lot easier.

Pam Albert, Curriculum Coordinator
Point Road Elementary, Little Silver, New Jersey

We are really happy with the software from Essential Skills. We love Super Phonics especially because it meets many of the requirements of the first grade programs.

Shirley White, Computer Specialist
Fernbrook School, Randolph, New Jersey

We couldn't be more pleased with our students' success. We have become an Exemplary Turn Around School in Nevada! We have matched Essential Skills software to the MAP content strands. We find out where a student is struggling and match the software to that strand. Students' RIT scores in those strands have greatly improved!

Pamla Tognoli
Literacy Specialist

I have seen tremendous performance gains, especially in our Kindergarten and first grades. One student in particular started in September not knowing any English and now knows all of his basic English vocabulary. It is the practice that your programs offer that helped him to improve so much.

Catherine Davis
Computer Coordinator

Last year we did very well on our testing and I think Essential Skills gave us that boost. The students get exposed to the entire math curriculum using these programs and all of the skills are on our state test.

Maxine Emm
K-4 Technology Teacher

I can see that the students are learning and benefiting from these programs. They are making measurable progress and enjoying the learning experience.

Nicki Backman
Resource Teacher

My children have made major gains on their MAP test and I attribute this in large part to Essential Skills software. It has made a very positive and powerful impact on the academic self-esteem and success of our students. In my mind these programs are invaluable!

Janet Price
Grade Three Teacher

We use Essential Skills software to prepare our students for State testing. The skills taught align very well with the State standards. The children love the programs and don't even realize how much they are learning

Pat Rod, Title I Teacher
North Hill Elementary, Burlington, Iowa

The Essential Skills programs allow my students to work independently. There is no training required even for our youngest students. These programs teach and reinforce the skills my children need. I love the programs and so do the kids.

Denise Williams, Title I Teacher
Colfax-Mingo Elementary, Colfax, Iowa

We use both Super Phonics programs with our primary kids in grades 1, 2, and 3 every week. These programs support the classroom curriculum and provide excellent tutorial practice and review for our students.

Kathy Brady, Computer Teacher
St. John’s Elementary, Independence, Iowa

The Reading Comprehension programs from Essential Skills are used to enrich our reading program. The children really enjoy the stories and find the programs very user friendly. Working through the many stories in these programs is having a positive impact on learning comprehension skills.

Amy Heisel, Grade Two Teacher
Wellman Elementary, Wellman, Iowa

Our 4th and 5th grade students use the ESS Grammar program early in the year before the Basic Skills test. The Grammar program is the first software the teachers use in the fall. It offers comprehensive tutorials, practice and review of 60 main grammar rules. The students are very motivated to use the software and often they ask to use it on their own. It has definitely impacted their learning!

Sharon Stiles, Library Media Specialist
Kittrell Elementary, Waterloo, Iowa

I have been using the programs from Essential Skills every day for a couple of years. I like these programs because they are easy for students with learning difficulties to use. These programs do an excellent job of reinforcing what my students have already been taught. I do not have any students who don't like the programs. The children are highly motivated when using this software.

Jane Bell, Special Education Teacher
Prairie Valley Elementary, Callender, Iowa

We are using ESS programs in the Title I program and the reading program. We sure have seen improvement in our students' performance. We like the Marks Manager as we can see where a student is having difficulty and have them work on those skills. Our grade one students are spending 30 minutes a day 4 times a week with the programs. The kids caught on right away how to use the programs and really look forward to using them.

Doris Jeantete, Educational Assistant
Taos Elementary, Taos, New Mexico

The 1st graders are using Essential Skills programs as a supplement to the reading curriculum. We have used the programs in Special Ed and I am using them with 1st and 2nd graders for Title I and reading.

Beth Fields, Title I Reading Teacher
Del Norte Elementary, Roswell, New Mexico

We are using the Reading Comprehension programs in the Title I Reading Lab for the 3rd to 5th grades once or twice a week for 30 minutes and when they have free time. The students are eager to get to the computer

Janet Barlow, Title I Teacher
Tombaugh Elementary, Las Cruces, New Mexico

We have been using Essential Skills programs for four years. They are very well rounded programs and I see the children making excellent progress. The Marks Manager keeps track of the students' progress, records their scores and prints cumulative reports. The programs are very child friendly and the students are always motivated. They can work at their own level and pace.

Ida Perez, Title I Teacher
Grand Heights ECC, Artesia, New Mexico

We are using Essential Skills programs in K-1 twice a week. The students are motivated by the programs and I think that their reading is improving. They now recognize the sounds the letters make. The sound blending activity is also helping them a lot. I would not hesitate to recommend your programs.

Sylvia Vargas, Grade One Teacher
Nancy Lopez Elementary, Roswell, New Mexico

My kids use ESS programs on a daily basis. We concentrate on accomplishing one skill before we go on to the next. We have seen a lot of improvement and progress. Overall, the students and I think they are terrific.

Matilda Roybal, Computer Technologist
Ohkay Owingeh School, San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico

Essential Skills is the best software that we have found in Language Arts and Math, and it is so affordable! It is currently being used in all grade levels in our school.

Antoinette Lopez, Technology Assistant
Sierra Vista Elementary, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Our kindergarten and grade one teachers have been using Essential Skills programs on a regular basis for four or five years. Our students really enjoy using them. The programs provide excellent value and have made a real difference for our children.

Ms. Wright, Kindergarten Teacher
Holloman Primary, Holloman AFB, New Mexico

We love the Essential Skills programs, and are really impressed with how affordable they are!

Terry Gallinger, ELL Teacher
West Elementary, Lander, Wyoming

Your programs are my favorite.

Sue Bodar, Teacher
Dubois Elementary, Dubois, Wyoming

We use the Math and Reading software from Essential Skills everyday in all of our grades. We use it in the computer lab, in the classrooms and with our tutoring program. Our children show amazing progress using this software. They are doing very well and never get bored with learning using these programs. We love this software!

Mary Ann Guille, Computer Teacher
Buffalo Ridge Elementary, Cheyenne, Wyoming

The ESS programs are a great tool for review and practice.

Kimberly Eymer, Teacher
Sundance Elementary, Sundance, Wyoming

The students LOVE your spelling programs, and the teachers like the convenience of being able to incorporate their own spelling words.

Ronda Dierks, Teacher
Corlett Elementary, Cheyenne, Wyoming

I use Sight Words from Essential Skills with all of my grade ones. It has a wide variety of activities and works well for my high kids and my low kids. They are able to learn independently on the program at their own level and pace. The software teaches word recognition skills in an effective yet fun way. My students never get tired of using your programs.

Vera Faerber, Grade One Teacher
South Elementary, Lander, Wyoming

Our kids really love Essential Skills! They never get tired of the programs and are disappointed when it is time to log off. The programs from Essential Skills complement and even at times serve as an alternative to direct classroom instruction. The skills are aligned and support what is being taught in the classroom.

Nance Stack, Technology Coordinator
Mills Elementary, Casper, Wyoming

We have seen a marked improvement our students' reading and comprehension performance. Our test score results have improved dramatically! These significant improvements can be attributed to Essential Skills because our students use these programs every day.

Dr. Linda Hunt
Principal

When preparing our students for state testing, we have the children working on Reading Comprehension Level 2. We find that the classes using this program to prepare typically do much better than if they hadn't used it.

Terri Horan
Computer Lab LTA Coordinator

Our statewide test scores in grade 4 and grade 8 have us ranked as the top school in our district and this is due in part to using the great software from Essential Skills.

Deb Wallace
District Technology Coordinator

Your programs are exactly what the kids need. They are far better than using manipulatives. They really keep the students engaged!

Holly Koyukuk, Yukon-Koyukuk SD
Merreline A Kangas School, Ruby, Alaska

Students are using ESS programs three times a week. They really like the programs and are motivated by them. I have even had Junior High students using the programs. In my student assessments I have seen significant improvements.

Jamie Edmondson, Special Education Teacher
Chetopa School, Chetopa, Kansas

Our Students are using ESS programs at least 4 times a week sometimes twice a day. We use these programs with all of our grades to help the students prepare for state testing. Our ESL students also love your programs and use them to build reading and vocabulary skills. I would highly recommend Essential Skills Software

Anita Williamson, Teacher
Gertrude Walker Elementary, GardenCity, Kansas

Our K - 2 students are using ESS programs twice a week. The Title I and Resource students are also using the programs. I feel they have greatly helped the majority of our students. I would recommend your programs.

Denise Kempke, Grade I Teacher
Claflin Elementary, Claflin, Kansas

I think ESS programs are very helpful. The kids like them and use them at least once or twice each week. They really enjoy learning their sight words this way.

Virginia Gibson, Title I Teacher
Greeley County School, Tribune, Kansas

Your programs are great and they correlate well to the state guidelines for language arts.

Connie Potts, Title I Coordinator
Claflin USD #354, Claflin, Kansas

Our teachers like ESS programs because the students are motivated and they learn the required skills. Our grade ones use the programs for 20 minutes every day. Second and third grades are using the programs in their classroom and fourth and fifth grades use them every day. The teachers like being able to enter custom spelling lists and have the spelling programs automatically create activities for the students. Your software is being well used at our school.

Mary William, Computer Lab
Hoxie Elementary, Hoxie, Kansas

We teach reading in groups based on a student's reading level. We start our students with Phonemic Awareness and Sight Words and then move them to Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Builders. We get a lot of use from these ESS programs. We use them before state testing and they have made a difference in test scores. We like how easy it is to use the Marks Manager and access all the student records. Our kids love these programs!

Marilyn Reynoldson, Reading Facilitator
Lincoln Elementary, Jct.City, Kansas

Both the teachers and the kids love the Essential Skills programs. I would like to see them district wide.

Chris Sisk, Systems Operator
Buffalo Jones Elementary, Garden City, Kansas

We are using the programs from Essential Skills daily. They are ideal for independent and individualized learning and they free me up to work with others. I like the way the programs keep track of where the students leave off from day to day and how the reporting system keeps track of what they have mastered and what their needs are. The Essential Skills programs help the students prepare for the Kansas Reading Assessments because they actually have to seek information and pay attention to what they are reading. There is lots of practice and reinforcement of basic reading comprehension skills.

Gail Burkett, Special Education Teacher
Roosevelt Elementary, Arkansas City, Kansas

Within our day programs for adults with developing disabilities, I searched a long time for an educational product that met our needs for individuals with cognitively impairments. Essential Skills exceeded all of our expectations. The instructions are very clear; the scope and sequence is well defined, and achievement is measurable. The graphics within the programs are universally appropriate for children and adults. We have purchased assessment, phonics, reading comprehension and mathematic products. My student so enjoy receiving the immediate reinforcement after each entry, achievement stars after completing the assignment and the ability to print out a score using the Marks Manager System.

Sarah Reddy, Special Educator
Heritage Christian Services, Rochester, New York

We use Essential Skills Software in preparation for state assessments. Our teacher's have found that many of the activities in these programs correlate to the state assessment and will enhance student test scores.

Bill Sica, Director of Computer Services
Chenango Forks SD, Binghampton, New York

We use Essential Skills extensively with our students. Our statewide test scores in grade 4 and grade 8 have us ranked as the top school in our district and this is due in part to using the great software from Essential Skills. These programs are used in alignment with the state curriculum.

Deb Wallace, Teacher
Prattsburgh Central School, Prattsburgh, New York

Our students are using Super Phonics, Sight Words and Reading Comprehension from Essential Skills Software. These programs were easy to install and our students began using them immediately. No training was required. I particularly like the progress reports. They are straightforward and easy to interpret.

Nancy Bickowitz, Teacher
Stanislaus School, Amsterdam, New York

Tech support at Essential Skills is by far the best tech support I've experienced. They are phenomenal! We have14 of your programs installed and on the few occasions we've needed help we've received prompt, courteous help with timely follow-up when required. They have been wonderful to deal with.

Colleen Drummond, Teacher
Hagan Elementary, Poughkeepsie, New York

Our kids love using the programs from Essential Skills and are motivated by the success they have building their literacy skills in a systematic way. We use these programs to support and reinforce the skills taught in the classroom.

Jan Harrington, Teacher
Hammondsport Central School, Hammondsport, New York

We are using 10 of the literacy programs from Essential Skills Software. The students love working with these programs and are continuously motivated by them. We have been using these programs for four years and have seen a marked improvement our student's reading and comprehension performance. Our test score results have improved dramatically. These significant improvements can be attributed to Essential Skills because our students use these programs every day.

Dr. Linda Hunt, Teacher
Charles Churn Christian Academy, Brooklyn, New York

A great component of the Spelling Programs is the ability to make custom spelling lists. It is easy to individualize word lists and make direct connections to the curriculum. I use the custom list editor to teach my students everything from the sounds of the letters to word meanings for vocabulary and language.

Elizabeth Bowen, Teacher
Uniondale S.D., Uniondale, New York

One of our teachers, a reading specialist, was very impressed by the promise of Essential Skills products. We ordered site licenses for Super Phonics and Phonemic Awareness. We were astonished at the depth, quality, and breadth of these programs. But that is not why we went on to purchase Super Phonics 2, and Reading Comprehension 2 the following year. We did so because the students in K - 3 responded so well to the experience of using these products. Imagine a computer lab with 18-second graders, absolutely silent, everyone on task 100% of the time for 30 minutes, learning the fundamentals of phonemic awareness and phonics! Try doing that with a Phonics book.

Emmett Hoops, Teacher
Moriah Central School, Port Henry, New York

I teach kindergarten through fifth grade in the computer lab. Our students in first grade to fifth grade use the Essential Skills Programs on a regular basis to support the various classroom curriculums. When preparing our students for state testing - ELouisiana, we have the children working on Reading Comprehension level 2. We find that the classes using this program to prepare for the ELouisiana test typically do much better than if they hadn't used it. Several of these programs are used in our high school special ed classrooms with good results as well.

Terri Horan, Computer Lab LTA Coordinator
Otego Elementary, Otego, New York

My students ask to use the Essential Skills programs over other computer software and games. As a teacher I prefer these programs because they provide multiple practice and reinforcement of skills without a lot of silliness and interruptions. It provides the practice that my students need in a way that keeps them focused and interested. I have noticed a definite improvement in the ability levels of my students from using these programs. I can isolate specific skills and they can get lots of practice and review in a short amount of time.

Page Hannah, Special Education Teacher
Town of Webb School, Old Forge, New York

We are more than satisfied with our Essential Skills Math software! The math programs have been used constantly this year. I think the Patterning, Geometry and Data Management program was the biggest hit. It really helped visualize concepts some students have a hard time grasping. The section on Flips, Slides, and Turns was especially helpful! Thank you for such a well designed program. We also have versions of Grammar, Vocabulary Builder 3, 4, 5, and Super Phonics 1 and 2. They are all great!

Nancy Jack, Computer Aide
Charlotte Avenue Elementary, Hamburg, New York

I love the Reading Comprehension Level 3 program as do the other teachers and students. I will be purchasing more programs this coming school year. This is one of the best programs I have purchased for our computer lab! Thank you!

Patty Genesky, Teaching Assistant
Ontario Elementary, Ontario Cntr., New York

About six of our teachers use the Phonemic Awareness program and others with their students at least once a week in the lab and in centers in the classroom. I like that there are not a lot of distractions or bells and whistles in the programs. They really focus on the skills that need to be taught. It aligns well with our Houghton-Mifflin reading program. This software provides excellent reinforcement for the skills we teach in the classroom. The children like the immediate feedback the programs provide.

Stacy Quinlan, Grade One Teacher
Heim Elementary, Williamsville, New York

In the Port Washington School District, Essential Skills software has been a key component to the success of Response to Intervention (RTI). Our Instructional Support Team may suggest a specific Essential Skills program for a student to use in order to help reach a set goal. The programs are user friendly for children, allowing them to work independently. This is especially critical due to the increasing pressure for classroom teachers to address curriculum standards and individual needs through differentiation.

Alison Schlanger, Resource Room Teacher
Daly Elementary School, Port Washington, New York

We have been using programs from Essential Skills for grades K-6 three or four times per week for five years. The Reading Comprehension programs help to improve the ELouisiana test scores. Our students work independently and can navigate the programs very easily. They are comprehensive and very well organized. The skills are in alignment with state standards. This is great supplemental software to teach core skills.

Kathy Bleehar, Computer Aide
E. A. McAllister, J.D George, and Wettel Elementary, , New York

We have used the Super Phonics programs on a daily basis for three years. The students love the programs and activities. They are having fun and learning at the same time. I would highly recommend these programs to other teachers.

Kelly Juby, Grade One Inclusion Teacher
West Carthage Elementary, Carthage, New York

We have been using programs from Essential Skills for grades K-6 three or four times per week for five years. The Reading Comprehension programs help to improve the ELouisiana test scores. Our students work independently and can navigate the programs very easily. They are comprehensive and very well organized. The skills are in alignment with state standards. This is great supplemental software to teach core skills.

Kathy Bleehar, Computer Aide
E. A. McAllister, J.D George, and Wettel Elementary, New York

I am an early childhood intervention teacher and regularly use the programs from Essential Skills. I like the pacing, feedback and reinforcement. The children work independently at their own level and rate of learning. I highly recommend these programs to other teachers.

Ms. Phyllis Peterson Ruffin, Teacher
Purvis J Behan P.S. New York, New York

I love Essential Skills Software! I use it on a daily basis with K-2. It is straightforward skill and drill with not a lot of bells and whistles. The kids love the reward and reinforcement without it taking away from the content. These programs are especially effective for LD kids. The activities utilize a lot of learning modalities and the underlining skills in the programs pair nicely with what is being taught in the classroom.

Kathy Lincourt, Special Education Teacher
Crane School, Henrietta, New York

I have been using programs from Essential Skills for six years. I love the format of the Sight Words and Spelling programs because the students learn their word lists using a variety of visual, auditory and tactile activities. These programs dovetail nicely with our classroom curriculum. It is a nice change from traditional learning methods. It has been very beneficial for students with learning problems, allowing them to learn independently at their own level and have an excellent learning experience. The company offers great support! They stand behind their product.

Barb Kaminecki, Special Education
Del Van Gorder School, Faro, Yukon

The Super Phonics and Sight Words programs are used by approximately 400 K to 2 students daily. We are really pleased with the resulting higher scores the children are getting. Their phonics, sight word, and spelling scores have all gone up. Our DIBELS scores show marked improvement.

Shona Ross
Grade One Teacher

We use the Essential Skills programs daily in our Special Education classroom and have noticed measurable improvements. My students love using these programs!

Susan Corcoran, Special Education Teacher
Brookwood Forest Elementary, Birmingham, Alabama

Essential Skills Software programs are used school-wide. These programs have had a positive impact on student learning. We have noticed improvement and growth in our DIBELS scores.

Deanna Ritchie, Special Education Teacher
Magnolia School, Foley, Alabama

We use the two Sight Words programs for all students in grades one through four. These programs are great! They are designed to meets the needs of all students even the weakest ones. Each program uses many types of activities to suit different learning styles. This allows the children to work independently at their own ability level. To top it off the kids absolutely love the programs from Essential Skills! Another bonus is that we have never had to ask for Tech Support.

Linda LaFoy, Principal
Principal, Principal, Alabama

The Essential Skills programs have been highly recommended by our teachers. They find them very adaptable to students and very supportive of the curriculum.

Marcia Johnson, Principal
Principal, Principal, Alabama

We have five Essential Skills programs in our computer lab. Our Kindergarten and Grade One students use them daily. Both the teachers and students love this software. These programs do a great job of building and reinforcing the basic skills.

Sheila Denson, Principal
Principal, Principal, Alabama

The children are using Essential Skills programs for 30 minutes everyday. The first graders are using Super Phonics and Sight Words. Second and third grade are using Reading Comprehension. Our teachers really like the Marks Management system for tracking and reporting of progress. I think the programs are very good.

Marsha Wilson, Title I Reading Teacher
Hamilton Elementary, Hamilton, Alabama

Essential Skills programs are used daily at our school. The children enjoy practicing and learning their reading skills and the teachers love the way the programs record and track student progress.

Margie Walkman, Title I Technician
Nelson Elementary, Scottsboro, Alabama

I love Essential Skills programs. They are very supportive of our Alabama Reading Initiative goals. The kids focus right in on them. Our Reading Coaches are all sold on this software. We are very impressed.

Denice Simmons, Title I Teacher
North Roebuck Elementary, Birmingham, Alabama

We feel your software is a great teaching and practise tool for basic skills across the curriculum. We love the software because it's really helping our students. Our Word Study skills on the SAT test were low, but we did intensive work with the Essential Skills programs and our SAT scores went up. The marks management system is easy to use and does a good job of keeping track of student progress. These started out as programs for Title I students but now all of our classrooms are using Essential Skills.

Carolyn Deerman, Title I Teacher
Nelson Elementary, Scottsboro, Alabama

We have used Essential Skills programs daily for five years with 40-50 Title I students. I like that the students can work independently at their own level with lots of reinforcement and repetition for each of the skills they are learning. This extra practice is just what they need to remediate areas of weakness in their academic development. This software is an excellent supplement to the classroom courses of study.

Lisa Wiginton, Reading Resource Teacher
Hamilton Elementary, Hamilton, Alabama

My children use Essential Skills programs twice a week and love them. I know that these programs are helping my students. I even had a child who was practically addicted last year. He wanted to use the Reading Comprehension program at every free moment! I think that he realized that he truly was learning to read from using this software.

Terry Martin, Grade Three Teacher
Valley Intermediate, Pelham, Alabama

Essential Skills' programs are used in the computer lab and the classroom. The software is wonderfully easy to use and the programs build the skills one step at a time! We also use them with great success in Special Ed.

Ginny McIntyre, Grade One Teacher
G. Watts Elementary, PineApple, Alabama

We are a 2006 Torchbearer School and I'm sure that your reading software has something to do with it. I have seen gains made by my students using your programs.

Valra Goshea, Reading Coach
Westview Elementary, Phenix, Alabama

We really enjoy Essential Skills Software. The students love to use these programs and I can certainly see them making progress in their reading abilities.

Valerie Jones, Computer Teacher
McAdory Elementary, McCalla, Alabama

Since we have started using the Essential Skills Programs, there has been a marked improvement in our State-wide reading scores.

Diane Patterson, Reading Coach
Boaz Elementary, Boaz, Alabama

I am so happy to find software that is great for my first graders. I also love the simplicity of the Marks Manager in keeping track of each student's progress. Great job guys! Outstanding!

Kelley Wolfe, Teacher
Holy Spirit Regional School, Huntsville, Alabama

I used the Readiness Skills program and Phonemic Awareness with my Kindergarten class this year. I noticed great improvements in DIBELS scores and I believe these programs were very helpful. They are also very motivating for the students.

Valerie Powell, Kindergarten Teacher
Sparkman School, Harselle, Alabama

We have eight programs from Essential Skills. They are used in the computer lab as well as by our first grade and Special Ed teachers. I like that they are self-paced and provide the children with immediate feedback. The reinforcement and rewards are great and the children love them! The skills are closely aligned to our curriculum standards. Essential Skills programs definitely offer good value.

Valerie Jones, Technology Teacher
McAdory Elementary, Mc Calla, Alabama

When I taught Kindergarten I used the Phonemic Awareness and Readiness Skills programs with my students throughout the year. These programs were excellent in preparing the students for DIBELS testing. The skills in these programs align beautifully with our phonemic awareness curriculum outcomes. They are very effective in teaching phonics and reading readiness skills.

Valerie Powell, Reading Coach
Sparkman Elementary, Hartfelle, Alabama

We have used these programs with most of the 300 students in our school and we know that they produce results. Phonemic Awareness and Sight Words are great for K-1 students. They teach early reading skills very effectively and the students seem to enjoy using the programs. These programs provide great value for the money!

Dianne Patterson, Instructional Specialist
Boaz Elementary, Boaz, Alabama

These programs are used in our Title I reading program. I like the programs because they are written at a level that the students can easily read. Students like the programs because they can be successful at their own level and rate of learning. I think it is definitely helping them to learn their reading skills. It reinforces skills taught in the classroom and helps prepare our students for testing. The type of questioning is similar to that found in our state testing.

Julie Allen, Title I Reading and Math Teacher
Highlands School, Muscle Shoals, Alabama

We use Essential Skills programs daily with our pre K to fifth grade students. There are 18 classroom teachers using the software with their students. It is the main supplementary program we use to reinforce the curriculum. I like the immediate feedback the students receive and the reporting features. The children love the programs because they can work independently at their level and pace. These programs offer great value and I highly recommend them to other schools.

Mrs. Pamela Crum, Reading Coach
Payne Elementary, Selma, Alabama

We have used Essential Skills programs for six or seven years. We have used them as much as any programs we have ever purchased. These programs are easy for all students to use regardless of ability. They offer wide variety of activities and are organized in a way that all children can work independently. The tracking and reporting features are excellent and provide results and feedback for both students and teachers. The kids also love to see how well they did at the end of each session. We have seen excellent progress in developing reading skills due to the practice and reinforcement provided by our Essential Skills programs.

Ginger Brimer, Reading Coach
Brilliant Elementary, Brilliant, Alabama

I have used this software daily for five years with my grade ones. They love using Sight Words and make great gains in word recognition skills with this program. It reaches and teaches to all of the learning modalities and the students get the repetition they need without it becoming bored. They always look forward to their time on the program and are learning at the same time. That is hard combination to beat.

Ardella Vance, Grade One Teacher
Blossomwood Elementary, Huntsville, Alabama

We have used Essential Skills programs with our K-3 students on a daily basis for six or seven years. We love the format, the variety, and the reinforcement. The children always look forward to using these programs. This software is a perfect supplement to our curriculum. On a scale of 10 I would give these programs a 10.

Judy Wadkins, Grade Three Teacher
Woodville Elementary, Woodville, Alabama

I have used the Super Phonics programs for at least five years. These are wonderful programs! I have never come across better phonics instruction than these programs provide. The children are always engaged and focused when working on these programs. The pacing, reinforcement and feedback provided is excellent.

Barbara Kennemur, Grade Two Teacher
Hanceville Elementary, Hanceville, Alabama

The Essential Skills programs teach the core language arts and math skills. They are a wonderful supplement to reinforce what I am teaching in the classroom. All the children regardless of ability level are able to work independently and at own level.

Mrs. Gorham, Grade One Teacher
Moon Lake Elementary, Mentone, Alabama

We use Essential Skills every day without fail. Teachers and students love the programs. They are user friendly and work well with children who have high needs such as LD and ADHD and mentally handicapped. After the first time with the teacher the children are able to manage very well on their own. The programs are easy to use, adaptable and cover the skills that need to be covered. My children regularly score 100% on Dolch Sight Words test after using the ESS Sight Words program.

Sharon Hope, Special Education Resourcer
Randolph Elementary School, Randolph, Alabama

My students can use the Essential Skills programs independently and at their own pace of learning. The programs are easily adapted to fit the needs of all my students, two of whom are autistic. These programs are aligned with what we are teaching in the classroom.

Brenda Beasley, Grade Three Teacher
Southeastern Elementary, Remlap, Alabama

I would rank the software from Essential Skills near the top of programs we use for supplementary instruction in our school. These programs are fun, easy to use, teach the requisite skills and have good tracking and reporting features.

Janet Brewer, Computer Lab
East Lawrence Elem., Trinity, Alabama

We are immensely pleased with the programs from Essential Skills. There are nine classes of children who use these programs daily. The students can work independently and the programs always return them to where they left off. The children love the stars and other rewards and are so pleased when they sign out every day and they get to see their progress and be motivated by their success. This is the best purchase of educational software that we have made.

Barbara Lankford, Computer Lab
Adalusia Elementary, Andalusia, Alabama

Our teachers use Essential Skills for whole grade instruction. The skills are taught sequentially and are in complete alignment with our curriculum. They are also ideal for remedial instruction. They are easy to use and all the children can work independently at their own pace regardless of ability level. This is great skill development software!

Kim O'Connor, Title I Resource Teacher
Munford Elementary, Munford, Alabama

We are using Essential Skills in our K-5 school on a daily basis. We have 27 teachers and all of them use the software with their students up to three to four times per week. Even my children at home use the programs. These programs are truly educational and designed for all learning modalities. They are easy to use and the skills are taught and practiced logically and sequentially with short skill building activities. This allows the students to work independently and move ahead at their own pace. They never tire of the programs, even after years of use. The teachers are able to print concise reports to show skill strengths and deficits. Over the years we have built up our library of Essential Skills to the point where we now have 35 programs. For supplementary practice and reinforcement this is simply the best bang for the buck that you can get with curriculum based software.

Belissa Howard, Reading Coach
Highlands Elementary School, Huntsville, Al

I love your products! They work great with my autistic students. It is easy for them to go from one activity to the next and the format really meets their needs. It gives them feedback about their progress and let's them know when to move on. My Autistic students are very methodical and the structured format of the programs is perfect for them. They are definitely learning and retaining the skills they are learning. When my students pass the state standardized tests it is due in part to the time spent on Essential Skills programs.

Teresa Reed, Special Education Teacher
John James Audubon Elementary, Kenner, Louisiana

Your software is extremely user friendly and the games and activities tie in nicely with the curriculum guidelines. The software supports and supplements the classroom curriculum. Our students use it on a daily basis. It is helpful to be able to isolate a skill that is being taught and reinforce the learning of it with this software.

Linda Henderson, Principal
Principal, Principal, Louisiana

Our first and second grade classrooms love the software from Essential Skills. I use the software to reinforce the concepts I teach in the classroom. It supports the curriculum perfectly and is very beneficial to the skill development of our students.

Sharon Jones, Grade One Teacher
Children’s Charter School, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

We use Essential Skills software in every school in our district. The kids and the teachers love it. These programs offer an orderly continuum of skills that helps improve test scores in reading and math. We highly recommend this software.

Cincy Pucheu, Lead Inclusion Teacher
Monroe City Schools, Monroe, Louisiana

We have six school wide licenses that we use it in our lab and in the classrooms. It is the favorite software with the children and teachers in the primary grades. The programs are friendly, bright, colorful, and exciting. They teach the skills the children need to develop reading fluency and comprehension.

Peggy Alford, Librarian
Spring Creek Elementary, Kentwood, Louisiana

The software is used every week by about 200 Pre Kindergarten to Grade 5 students. We have had the programs for several years, and add to them each year. We currently have 10 to 15 different titles. The programs are very user friendly and the kids absolutely love them! The skills are age appropriate, and the programs cover the curriculum nicely. These programs are a great value!

Jere Rushing, Computer Lab Teacher
Castor School, Castor, Louisiana

We use Essential Skills regularly and particularly for tier 2 RTI. The programs are child friendly and easy to use. The skills are taught sequentially and the children love the reinforcement and feeling of success. The progress tracking and reporting features of the Marks Manager are very useful to teachers.

Karen Bordelon, Reading Facilitator
J. Wallace James Elementary, Lafayette, Louisiana

You can't find better value for programs to help children with their basic reading skills then the programs from Essential Skills. These programs have more content then some programs costing ten times as much.

Stephen Fogo, Principal
Principal, Principal, Ohio

Your software has been a joy to work with! The children LOVE it and I just can't stop finding new ways to utilize it. I was having a hard time finding software that was tutorial, interactive on my Smart Board and still an assessment tool when working individually. Your software meets all those needs. Every child is engaged in learning when we are using your programs. The assessment tools have been invaluable. I use the well organized information to target my intervention goals. I appreciate the objective breakdowns and graphing features. It is wonderful to be able to clearly show progress or areas of difficulty to parents during conferences. In my classroom your software is truly essential!

Nadine Draper, Teacher
Arrowhead Primary, Copley, Ohio

The software from Essential Skills is the backbone of instruction in our computer lab. We have used it every day for at least five years. We have at least 200 students from grades K - 5 using one or more of the eight literacy programs every week. These programs are great at building the skills children need to learn to read. The students don't even realize they are learning. The reading comprehension programs do a great job of teaching all the comprehension and related vocabulary skills to students at all levels of ability.

Vicki Wentzel, Computer Lab
Central Elementary School, Napoleon, Ohio

We've been using the Essential Skills programs in Kindergarten through fifth grade on a regular basis for the past four years. The teachers speak very highly of these programs. The kids are always engaged by them. This software has run for years on our school server without any technical problems.

John Hammond, Technology Coordinator
St. Paul Lutheran School, Napoleon, Ohio

We use the software daily, especially with the lower grades. In grades one to three we use Super Phonics, Sight Words, Reading Comprehension and Spelling Stumpers. For the older kids we use Vocabulary Builders and Grammar. Everyone likes the Essential Skills programs and the price is more than reasonable for the site license. There is a great deal of content in each program so you get a lot for your money. The programs are easy to individualize to meet the needs of students at all levels. The kids are always happy to use this software and they like that they can work at their own pace.

Mrs. Dickel, Computer Teacher
St. Augustine School, Barberton, Ohio

We have been using ESS for three years now. In K-2 we use Phonemic Awareness, Super Phonics and Mastering Numeration. The children really like the software. They like getting the stars and rewards for mastering the skills. I like being able to zero in on the skills they need and individualize the program for them. I feel that the software is really making a difference for the children. We feel that these programs support the Ohio state standards.

Cathy Bishop, Kindergarten Teacher
Liberty Center Elementary, Liberty Center, Ohio

Essential Skills programs are being used everyday in our primary computer lab by at least four classes. They are easy to use and easy for the kids to follow. The students enjoy using them and like the immediate feedback. This software is definitely teaching them the early reading skills they need.

Barbara Frank, Instructional Assistant
Vivian L. Smith Elementary, Berea, Ohio

The Essential Skills Super Phonics and Sight Words programs are used by approximately 400 K to grade two students daily. We are really pleased with the resulting higher scores the children are getting. The phonics, sight word, and spelling scores have all gone up. Our Diebels scores show marked improvement. These programs are also very easy to use and kid friendly. I highly recommend them.

Shona Ross, Grade One Teacher
Northwest Elementary, McDermott, Ohio

I use a variety of Essential Skills programs every day with special needs students. They are excellent and are definitely making a difference for my students. I would highly recommend these programs to other teachers.

Mr. Grant, Intervention Specialist
Bell Haven Elementary, Dayton, Ohio

The Essential Skills programs are very easy for the children to navigate because of the clear directions and the easy to follow menus. I never have to pause during my instruction with the rest of the class. The skills follow the curriculum very well and the programs effectively teach the language arts skills that the children need. It is a great tool for teaching and reinforcement. The children always choose to do Essential Skills when they are done their other tasks. When they talk about the favorite part of the day they often say getting stars on the Essential Skills programs.

Lisa Tinsley, Grade One Teacher
Heritage Elementary, Pickerington, Ohio

We use Essential Skills programs every day primarily as an intervention program with our special education and intervention kids. The classroom teachers love the programs because they really hit the state content standards. They challenge the students and do exactly what we need skill based programs to do. The children are anxious to get to the computer and are fully engaged in learning the skills. This is great supplementary material that reinforces what they are teaching in the classrooms.

Tracy Williams, Librarian
Maddux Elementary, Cincinnati, Ohio

We use the Sight Words software in grades 1-2, for 20 minutes four times per week. This program is a great supplement for struggling students needing repetition and practice. It is the best we have found for teaching sight word recognition.

Karen Kaylor, Reading Teacher
Kyle Elementary, Troy, Ohio

The Essential Skills programs are very effective. The kids are enthusiastic about them. They learn the skills, enjoy the reinforcement, and love moving ahead. These programs reinforce what I am teaching and the students can work successfully and independently at their own ability level and pace. I don't hesitate to recommend these programs to other teachers.

Lori Clapper, Reading Intervention Teacher
Ben Franklin Elementary, Newark, Ohio

Since we have started using the Essential Skills programs there has been a marked improvement in our statewide reading scores.

Diane Patterson
Reading Coach

We love the software because it's really helping our students. Our word study skills on the SAT test were low, but we did intensive work with the Essential Skills programs and our SAT scores went up.

Carolyn Deerman
Title I Teacher

We have seen excellent progress in developing reading skills due to the practice and reinforcement provided by our Essential Skills programs.

Ginger Brimer
Reading Coach

My children regularly score 100% on Dolch Sight Words test after using the Essential Skills Sight Words program!

Sharon Hope
Special Education Resource Teacher

I really like the programs from Essential Skills because they individualize the skills depending on ability level. My students are definitely benefitting. Our testing results are mostly showing progress with some students improving as much as two grade levels!

Judy Hanks
Special Education Teacher

The Sight Words programs from Essential Skills definitely have improved my children's reading and recognition of sight words as well as their spelling. These programs teach the important sight vocabulary in a variety of ways and are appropriate for all my students including autistic, ADHD and LD. Thank you very much! I appreciate these fabulous programs. You're doing a great job!

Mary Ann Smith, Resource Teacher
Tumbleweed Elementary, Phoenix, Arizona

I like the software very much. The Marks Manager is very easy to use and interpret. The children love using this software to build their skills. These programs correlate well with the state standards and provide excellent drill and practice for the basic skills.

Cheryl Smith, Special Education Teacher
Havasupai Elementary School, Supai, Arizona

I have taught for a long time and the ESS programs are the best that I have ever seen. The Marks Manager saves a lot of administrative time and I particularly love the way that that programs pick up right where the kids have left off.

Janice Hoffman, Special Education
Stevenson Elementary School, Douglas, Arizona

We have nine Essential Skills programs that we use with Kindergarten through Grade Five on a daily basis. These programs are great for supplementing and reinforcing the classroom curriculum. They certainly do teach the essential skills. It is easy for the teachers to manage and easy for the children to use. We've really enjoy the software.

Carolyn Reeder, Assistant Principal
Assistant Principal, Assistant Principal, Arizona

We use Super Phonics, Spelling Stumpers and Fun With Spelling on a daily basis with our Kindergarten through grade six students. These programs offer a good variety of instructional methods for different learning styles and a very comprehensive set of skills. They are very well organized and well balanced in the presentation and reinforcement of literacy skills. The children can hardly wait to get to these programs and once they start they want to finish. It really keeps them involved. I think every classroom should have these programs.

Shirley Johnson, Title I Teacher
San Xavier Mission School, Tuscon, Arizona

We use Readiness Skills, Phonemic Awareness, Super Phonics and High-Low Readers regularly with our K-2 students. I like the programs because they are not too gamey and they have a clear skill focus that guarantees the children learn the skills presented. The programs are a valuable and essential component of our school response to intervention.

Donna Stokes, Title I Reading Specialist
Tonalea Elementary, Scottsdale, Arizona

Essential Skills programs are very affordable. The students enjoy working on them and the phonics software fits in well with our curriculum. The programs are used by 200 students daily at our school. We have several site licenses and feel that they are an excellent value. I love the sequencing of skills and the variety of activities for the children to work on. The ability to place students at their own instructional level and have them work independently is great. Our students are definitely making gains using Essential Skills.

Barbara Vinyard, Title I Teacher
Walter Douglas School, Tucson, Arizona

We love the programs from Essential Skills. I use the programs as a reward for my students if they get all their work done.

Jody Pirtle, Resource Teacher
Faras Elementary, Pirtleville, Arizona

I have been very pleased with the purchases of Essential Skills Software. I appreciate the fact that my students can work independently. Your programs offer practice with the skills that they need. We use Super Phonics and Sight Words every day. The thorough and systematic presentation and practice of the required skills ties in perfectly with the skills required in our DIBELS testing.

Julie Efros, Grade One Teacher
Beaver Creek Elementary, Rimrock, Arizona

We use Essential Skills programs to develop academic skills. We use them for grades one through four. As far as academics go I like everything about them. The teachers really like the printouts. It was an easy program to understand.

Sara Ihmels, Computer Coordinator
Mt. Tipton School, Dolan Springs, Arizona

We love the Phonemic Awareness program from Essential Skills. It is a wonderful program. It has been a great supplement to our reading program. We use it from Kindergarten through our third grade. It is easy for the children to follow and use independently at their own level. The skills in this program correlate very well with the DIBELS testing and with our state standards.

Janice Simmons, Reading Coach
Saguaro Elementary, Casa Grande, Arizona

We use Sight Words and Reading Comprehension daily. It is very beneficial to our struggling students and regular students. It is also great for completing IEP objectives. The students enjoy the software very much. We feel that the skills are just what the students need to build their literacy. Also, the programs correlate well with the local and state standards. This software is extremely cost effective.

Mrs. Callaghan, Resource Teacher
Most Holy Trinity School, Phoenix, Arizona

We are one of the pilot schools for our state's RTI implementation. We received recognition at the state level for the use of Essential Skills Software as a highly successful intervention strategy with our English Language Learners. I like the programs because they are not gamey and they have a clear skill focus that guarantees the children learn the skills presented. The programs are a valuable and essential component of our school RTI.

Donna Stokes, Title I Reading Specialist
Tonalea Elementary, Scottsdale, Arizona

The programs from Essential Skills are consistent and have excellent progression through the skills. The children are very engaged in the programs because they are motivated by their success. They stick with it even when it gets challenging. The skills taught are appropriate and all students are able to work independently. The students like to see their daily scores and I like how the Marks Manager keeps track of how the children are doing.

Cheryl Smith, Kindergarten Teacher
Havasupai Elementary, Supai, Arizona

Our primary and ELL students benefit greatly from using Essential Skills. They enjoy working independently and they like being able to see their progress as they complete activities. Their interest and enthusiasm for the program does not diminish over time.

Debbie Maikis, Computer Tech
Redbird Elementary, Mesa, Arizona

We really do love Essential Skills programs. Our students are using them two or three times per week. We have won the Blue Ribbon award in our state for significant improvement in test scores and we believe that Essential Skills had a significant role to play in our achieving this award.

Judy Walker, Teacher
Sacramento Elementary, Sacramento, Kentucky

Essential Skills programs work really well with the Success for Reading Program. We use the programs in Kindergarten, grades one and two. The programs help build the students' vocabulary. I have recommended the programs to other schools in our district.

Peter Bohne, Teacher
Jacob Elementary, Louisville, Kentucky

We use ESS programs as much as possible - everyday last year. The students enjoy them and are not bored with them. I like Sight Words because it uses the Dolch word list. The students must learn these words.

Alena Woofter, Teacher
Flat Gap Elementary, Flatgap, Kentucky

We really enjoy Essential Skills programs. The kids love them too and have made noticeable performance gains using the software. We like the fact that the programs have increasing difficulty to challenge the students.

Cheryl Gilliam, Teacher
Longfellow Elementary, Mayfield, Kentucky

Reading Comprehension and Sight Words are used in our school. The more the students use the programs, the more their reading scores go up.

Alma Click, Teacher
West Irvine Elementary, Irvine, Kentucky

We use your programs all the time. All of our kindergartens and grade ones and some grade twos are using the software. The teachers will pick out the skill they want the students to learn that day. We have recommended the software to other schools.

Boyd Huffman, Teacher
Lansdowne Elementary, Lexington, Kentucky

We use ESS programs everyday and have noticed great improvements with our grade one students. I particularly like the Marks Manager as I can identify where a child is having difficulty. I have encouraged other teachers in our school to use the programs.

Vickie Dedman, Teacher
Saffell Street Elementary, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky

We purchased site licenses in 2003. We use the programs with struggling readers as an intervention strategy. They are very motivational and all of our students have made gains. I like that we can get immediate scores and progress reports. I also like the fact that they are reasonably priced. I would love to get all your programs.

Linda Riley, Teacher
Buffalo Elementary, Buffalo, Kentucky

We originally purchased Essential Skills programs for our Special Ed. department. We have three Special Ed. teachers using them. We have also implemented several programs with our regular elementary classes. We have ordered more programs and we are very pleased with them. We get results from this software!

Bettie Hart, Reading Recovery
Overdale Elementary, Louisvale, Kentucky

We use the great spelling programs from Essential Skills. The activities address the learning styles of all our students and we really like the option of being able to create our own custom spelling lists.

Donna Bradley, Computer Teacher
Meadow Lands Elementary, Owensboro, Kentucky

We are very pleased with the reading software from Essential Skills and have used it on an ongoing basis for the past five years. These programs have been implemented in all our district schools. This is great curriculum based software! It is well organized offering step by step sequential learning and it appeals to all learning styles. Even our students with the lowest ability levels can find a place in these programs to be successful and learn independently.

Karen Poff, Special Education Teacher
Cold Hill Elementary, London, Kentucky

The Essential Skills math and reading programs fit right in with our core curriculum. They support and supplement what I am teaching in the classroom. The children always look forward to using the programs and are motivated by the fact that they are learning their skills.

Amy Coyle, Kindergarten/Grade One Teacher
Viper Elementary, Viper, Kentucky

We love the Phonics and Sight Words programs from Essential Skills! We bought them to help implement Literacy First. The skills in these programs correlate well with Literacy First and we use them all the time with about 200 K-3 students. They are easy to use, and they record and keep track of student progress in each skill area. These programs offer great reinforcement of the skills our students need to do their CaliforniaTS test in the spring.

Karla Parker, Curriculum Coach
Sublimity School, London, Kentucky

The Essential Skills programs are great for helping the children with their sight word recognition, phonics and reading comprehension skills. We use the programs daily. The children are engaged and motivated. 98% of the children can work through the program skills independently without assistance.

Ms. Hodge, Instructional Computer Lab Coordinator
Sinking Fork Elementary, Kentucky

We use Essential Skills programs every day for phonics practice. They are very user friendly. Kids use them once and they are able to work independently. Students often choose the Essential Skills programs when given free time. They enjoy the interface and they enjoy being able to see their progress as they complete activities. These programs definitely help the students generalize their skills to other curriculum areas.

Amy Beall, Grade 1-2 Teacher
Harmony Elem., Louisville, Kentucky

I ordered a measurement program from Essential Skills and it is the best software program for teaching the concepts of measurement that I have come across. We use the flash drive/memory stick version since our CD drives are difficult to use and often don't work. The flash drive stores the program and saves all records so it can easily be used from computer to computer. It is all under your control at all times.

Dianne Kelly, Special Education
Benton Elementary, Benton, Kentucky

Our first, second and third grade teachers use the programs from Essential Skills all the time even after seven years. We love them! They are economical and great for remediation. There is just enough learning reinforcement to always keep the children interested. These are great programs for teaching basic skills as well as building self esteem.

Wanda Brooks, Literacy/Title I
Bloomfield Elem., Chaplin, Kentucky

I like the way it keeps a record of the children's progress. I also like that the programs constantly challenge the children to build their skills in a step by step manner. When the software is used consistently you are guaranteed to get measurable results.

Peggy Ereckson, Special Education Teacher
Tappen Elementary School, Tappen, North Dakota

I use Essential Skills everyday. Sight Words and Fun with Spelling are awesome programs. I always do a pretest and posttest with my students and the children always make measurable gains. The children love the software and the reinforcement. I love your software and spread the word at every opportunity.

Brenda LaPierre, Special Education
Twin Buttes Elementary, Halliday, North Dakota

We love your software and use it with our kids every day. These programs also really help the kids who are lower functioning and at the beginning stages of reading. The children respond well and are motivated to learn using the Essential Skills programs.

Del Quigley, Principal
Principal, Principal, North Dakota

I love your programs and have promoted them with many other Title I teachers. We use all levels of the Reading Comprehension series, the High-Low Readers, Mastering Numeration and Super Phonics. These programs do a great job of reinforcing skills and offer a great bang for your buck. The kids are always very motivated using this software. The use of graphics and reinforcement are excellent.

Kathy Feist, Title I Teacher
Lewis & Clark Elementary, Minot, North Dakota

We've been very happy with the programs from Essential Skills. I use Sight Words extensively. The Marks Manager is very helpful. These programs provide excellent practice and repetition. The students can work independently at their own level and pace. The students love the reward system and the skills seem appropriate and well aligned with the grade level curriculum.

Marjory Hochgraber, Title I and Reading Recovery
Hawthorne Elementary, Fargo, North Dakota

I think your software is very child friendly. The students find it motivating and challenging. It is a good supplement to the classroom program and great for repetition and reinforcement of skills. There is a lot to choose from with Essential Skills programs.

Andrea Hedberg, Title I Teacher
McKinley Elementary, Minot, North Dakota

Using Essential Skills software makes me feel better about the job I am doing as a teacher. The programs allow independent learning and they teach the specific skills my students need. The younger children don't even realize they are learning. They are actively engaged in learning whenever they are on the programs.

Kelly Torgerson, Title I Teacher
North Shore Elementary, Minot, North Dakota

This software works wonders and the kids love it. The children beg to use the programs. This is a great way of giving them practice without them knowing that they are really working. It beats the heck out of worksheets.

Mrs. Storkson, Title I Teacher
South Prairie Elementary, Minot, North Dakota

We use the math and reading titles from Essential Skills extensively. Our LD kids need the variety of visual and auditory skills offered in these programs. We like how you can pick specific skills to work on and how each program is customizable for all students regardless of their learning style or ability level.

Johnet Christianson, Title I Teacher
Dakota Elementary, Minot, North Dakota

We have been using Essential Skills programs daily for several years. We like being able to focus on specific skills that are aligned to our curriculum. The programs are great for supporting RTI tier 2 as well as supplementing and reinforcing regular classroom instruction. Essential skills are an important component of our language arts curriculum.

Linda Kessler, Reading and Math Specialist
Washington Elementary, Jamestown, North Dakota

The ability to place students at their own instructional level and have them work independently is great! Our students are definitely making gains using Essential Skills.

Barbara Vinyard
Title I Teacher

The Sight Words programs from Essential Skills have definitely improved my childrens' reading and recognition of sight words, as well as their spelling. I appreciate these fabulous programs. You're doing a great job!

Mary Ann Smith
Resource Teacher

These programs tie into all five essential components of Reading First. They enhance what is being taught in the classroom and we have seen marked improvements in student performance. I would highly recommend these programs to other teachers!

Kimberly McNab
Reading First Literacy Leader

The Essential Skills programs allow the students to learn independently. We are observing a definite improvement in their acquisition of reading skills, particularly in sound blending.

Lulu Corbitt
Reading Intervention

My ESL children have benefited greatly from using the Essential Skills. We have TECAP testing once a year as well as the ELDA. 75% of the children in my reading and ESL class are making adequate yearly growth because of their work with the Essential Skills.

Christie Swayze
ESL Teacher

We have three Essential Skills site licenses - Phonemic Awareness, Reading Comprehension and Sight Words in our school. Students in Kindergarten and Grade One are using the programs daily. They are also used for remediation. The teachers are very pleased with the results.

Kenny Perry, Elementary Principal
Elementary Principal, Elementary Principal, Arkansas

I think that Super Phonics is a great program. Our Kindergarten and Grade One students are using it and the teachers can really see how they have benefited from it.

Myra Shock, Librarian/Media Specialist
Central Arkansas Christian School, Sherwood, Arkansas

We love the programs from Essential Skills! I teach Grade One and we use the Reading Comprehension program. It teaches comprehension and vocabulary skills in a sequential manner and is very child and teacher friendly.

Debbie Rich, Grade One Teacher
West Fork Elementary, West Fork, Arkansas

In our school Essential Skills programs are used for practice, reinforcement and remediation. Every child has benefited from this software. The kids really enjoy the programs - it is their favorite activity.

Russ Johnson, Teacher
Joanne Walters Elementary, Dierks, Arkansas

We have been using Essential Skills programs regularly for several years. Most of our students in Grades K through five use the programs. The programs are excellent skill builders and the students really enjoy using them.

Paula Wilson, Elementary Lab Manager
Jessieville Elementary, Jessieville, Arkansas

We use Sight Words from Essential Skills daily with our K-2 students and we love it. It is easy for the children to use, very engaging, and tracks their progress. The teachers feel this program is very effective at teaching sight word recognition skills.

Paula Jones, Technology Specialist
Butterfield Trail Elementary, Fayetteville, Arkansas

We use Essential Skills software to reinforce concepts taught in my room. The students like the ongoing reinforcement and the feedback. They also like seeing their results at the end of each session. The various programs are closely aligned with my specific goals and objectives for each child. These programs are useful learning tools and an important piece of the instructional day for my students.

Jessica Forrest, Special Education Teacher
White Rock School, Gorham, Maine

We have used Essential Skills programs with our K-2 classes on a daily basis in our school for several years. These programs are right on in terms of what is being taught in the classroom. It fits perfectly with our curriculum needs. We all love the software. It is fun but instructional.

Mary Cox, Educational Technician
Center Drive School, Orrington, Maine

I have eight programs from Essential Skills that my students have used on a weekly basis for the past four years. The programs are bright, colorful, very appealing and make learning much more fun than traditional approaches. The kids feel like they are playing a game but I know these programs greatly contribute to their learning success. This software offers terrific value!

Alison Wallace, Resource Teacher
Milbridge Elementary, Milbridge, Maine

I have used Essential Skills with my students every day for several years. I use them to reinforce new concepts that I introduce in class. I like the fact that they cover the same material I'm teaching and that they encourage self-correcting. The progress reporting system is very easy to use. My children love using these programs and I would highly recommend them!

Anne Duplessis, Grade One Teacher
Forest Hills Consolidated, Jackman, Maine

I've meant to let your company know for quite some time how much I love your Sight Words software. Our principal ordered this for me several years ago, and it has been a wonderful investment. This is the best software for self-paced sight word instruction I've ever seen. The kids love it...it is multi-level and they can progress at their own speed. This software works well when new kids come to my class from other schools where they may be behind in sight word acquisition. It helps them catch up fast. I've also found it very useful for ESL kids. Best of all, the kids love it! We call it "the rainbow game."

Tracy Hastings, National Board Certified Teacher
Jones Elementary School, Jones, Oklahoma

We are very pleased with the programs from Essential Skills. Super Phonics is used extensively throughout the building. It is extremely beneficial to our children. The skills correlate well to the curriculum and the technical support that I've received has been fantastic It is obviously software that has been designed by educators. It really gets to the heart of learning. The computer can be a great learning tool and ESS meets the criteria. We also have an ELL student that greatly speeded up his language acquisition using Super Phonics. I am completely sold on your programs!

Jennetta Koester, Library/Media Specialist
Will Rogers Elementary School, Edmond, Oklahoma

We purchased one of the High-Low reading programs and have used it with children from first through fifth grade. The program is very helpful to the children in second grade. They get very excited about using the program. A number of my fifth grade ELL students have made dramatic gains using the program. Other schools in our district are also having great success with the programs from Essential Skills. I would certainly recommend the High-Low Readers to other teachers.

Peggy Brissey, 5th Grade Teacher
Roy Clark Elementary, Tulsa, Oklahoma

We are really excited about the programs from Essential Skills. They are exactly what we needed. The students love the programs and find them fun and motivating. The teachers like being able to go into the marks manager and get reports to use in parent conferencing. I'm a great believer in your products!

Deborah Forest, Principal
Principal, Principal, Oklahoma

I have used this software on a weekly basis for the past three years with my Title I students. My kids really enjoy working through the different activities in the programs. The combination of auditory, visual and tactile approaches is great for my kids. I like the ease of use for the children, as well as the repetition and reinforcement of each concept. The skills taught in these programs very much complement my classroom curriculum.

Debbie Collins, Title I Coordinator
Adair School, Adair, Oklahoma

Essential Skills programs are used heavily in 1st and 2nd grade. I also use them in Special Ed. We love the programs.

Donna Olinger, Teacher
Twin Hills School, Okmulgee, Oklahoma

In our school Essential Skills programs are used twice a week by grades 1, 2, and 3 and also Ells (English Language Learners). We find Phonemic Awareness especially helpful.

Laurie Locke, Teacher
Mustang Elementary, Mustang, Oklahoma

We use Essential Skills programs especially for Reading Sufficiency. They are used in the regular classroom and our students have made significant gains. This software is well thought out highly motivational and obviously designed by people who understand how to teach children the basic skills.

Katherine Kuntz, Teacher
Hugh Bish Elementary, Lawton, Oklahoma

Comprehension skills have improved and we have also seen gains in vocabulary among our students.

Charlotte Hendrickson, Teacher
Central Elementary, Wynnewood, Oklahoma

I was using Essential Skills programs while teaching Special Ed. They were definitely a benefit to the students to reinforce and maintain the skills they had learned.

Geneva Johnson, Teacher
Ator Heights Elementary, Owasso, Oklahoma

Our test scores are excellent. We would attribute some of this to Essential Skills.

Jim Dykens, Teacher
Nichols Elementary, Miami, Oklahoma

ESS programs are very engaging which is especially helpful with the kids that are easily distracted. I use the software every week with the students in grades one to five. We have good gains from six months to a year with our students.

Paula Anderson, Reading Specialist
Mustang Trails Elementary, Mustang, Oklahoma

I have used a lot of software, but Essential Skills is the best!

Georgann Looney, Teacher
Cottonwood Elementary, Coalgate, Oklahoma

We have used Essential Skills programs with our K-2 and remedial students on a weekly basis for the past four years. These programs are easy to work with and fun to use. They are a good supplement to our curriculum and I think they have definitely made a difference for our children. We use the programs to prepare our younger students for the BEArkansas test and the district benchmark test.

Jane Anne Crutchfield, Grade One Teacher
Chisholm Elementary, Edmond, Oklahoma

Our kids love the programs from Essential Skills. I like it that they can practice yet not realize they are steadily working on and learning their basic skills.

Leida Baker, Grade One Teacher
Olive Elementary, Drumright, Oklahoma

I would rate Essential Skills a 10 out of 10 for ease of use, appeal to students and organization and delivery of skills.

Mary Beth Wilson, Title I Teacher
Luther Elementary, Luther, Oklahoma

It is basic skills practice that my kids need help with and Essential Skills programs are able to target specific skills for each of my students. I purchased the programs on a memory stick and absolutely love them. I can take them from classroom to classroom everything is saved on the memory stick. The children stay engaged by these programs and work independently. I love the reports and tracking to show parents. This software is a definite ten out of ten.

Diana Fourkiller, Reading Specialist
Zion Public School, Stilwell, Oklahoma

I really like the programs from ESS because they individualize the skills depending on ability level. First I show the kids the programs on the Smartboard. We do some activities together then the children are able to work independently at their own level. My students are definitely benefitting. Our testing results are mostly showing progress with some students improving as much as two grade levels.

Mrs. Hanks, Special Education
Pickett Center School, Ada, Oklahoma

Our students use Essential Skills on a daily basis. The programs are being used by most classroom teachers throughout the school. They target specific skills and are easy to use. On a scale of 1-10 I would rate this software a 9 for development and reinforcement of basic skills.

Carolyn Gray, Special Education Teacher
Smithville School, Smithville, Oklahoma

We use Essential Skills daily. These programs give the supplemental practice and review that the students wouldn't otherwise get. They give thorough coverage and repetition of the skills using all learning modalities. The programs are also grade leveled and use controlled vocabulary. Also, it is easy to keep track of student progress and print reports to share with teachers and parents.

Mrs. Parker, Title I Teacher Director
Washita Heights Elementary, Corn, Oklahoma

OMG what a difference these programs make for our kids. They love the math programs. The students are so excited about their ability to do math, especially the ELL kids that struggle with English and reading. One little boy who is an Ell student leaves my class on cloud nine because he starts the day out being so successful. What a pleasure to experience his excitement. The Essential Skills programs are wonderful because they target the student levels so well. I love this stuff.

Shelly Pitts, Technology Teacher for CFAA
Sand Springs, Oklahoma

Our school raised their tests this past year, and it was due in part to extra practice of basic skills that the Essential Skills programs offer.

Tracy Battson
Title I Teacher

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

We have had eight years of sustained growth in our AYP/API results and the Reading Comprehension programs from Essential Skills have definitely played a role in that growth. Randy Helvey

Anonymous
Teacher

Essential Skills software is a big part of our intervention program. The programs are used with 240 students. We are seeing a lot of progress with student test scores. The Essential Skills programs are the most important and consistent of the supplementary instructional tools we use.

Tammy Cholly
Title I Coordinator

We have been getting great results using Essential Skills! These programs are excellent and aligned with what is taught in the classroom. This is great curriculum based software and the kids love it!

Grace Wong
Intervention Specialist

These programs teach the skills that young children need in a sequential, systematic manner. These are high quality, research and evidence based programs.

Sandra Crandall
Reading Specialist

The programs are very user friendly and my LD children have no difficulty working independently. I see their test results improve weekly and really like the tracking and reporting features of the Essential Skills programs.

Andrea Colbert
Resource Teacher

Our children have been making steady progress in their reading test scores and we attribute some of this progress to Super Phonics, Sight Words and Reading Comprehension from Essential Skills.

Dana Chamberlain
Grade One Team Leader

I can't begin to put into words what a difference these programs have made in the educational progress of the students with Downs Syndrome and other Special Needs. Repetition plays a large part in their daily work skills. Your programs present it in such a fun filled way, they have no idea that they are learning! The way the programs are designed is improving concentration and computer skills. We never dreamed that these students would progress as far as they have but with your wonderful programs it has happened.

Mary Blair, Special Education Instructional Assistant
Webster Elementary, Madera, California

We use your Reading Comprehension programs throughout the day with the students from grades one to six. Our assessments this year have indicated growth of 1 and 2 years in some of the children who are several years behind in reading. All our children want to use this software.

Georgina Kneale, Special Education Resource
Grand Terrace Elementary, Grand Terrace, California

After using programs from Essential Skills Software our ELL students are now performing above average in English speaking classes.

Angie Bennett, ELL Teacher
Richard Gird Elementary, Chino, California

We have used Essential Skills programs in the computer lab and in the classrooms for the past three years. They are being used successfully in the lower grades to build the necessary early math and reading skills and in the upper grades they are used effectively for remediation. These are excellent skill building programs to supplement the classroom curriculum.

Karolee Rosen, Principal
Principal, Principal, California

Our classrooms and our Learning Center use over 15 programs from Essential Skills. Your software allows our students to receive an intensive, independent, individualized instruction on specific skills. The programs use teaching practices that all good educators employ. Each program has a variety of activities and strategies for every type of learner. Our school was recently honored as a California Distinguished School. The software from Essential Skills has enhanced our curriculum and was a contributing factor in helping us to earn this honor. Your programs easily integrate into the classroom curriculum and are reliable tools for skill development. They are easy to use by the student and are helpful in documenting progress for the teacher. I highly recommend these programs to other schools!

Meriam Wilhelm, Principal
Principal, Principal, California

We have been using programs from Essential Skills for a couple of years. It was originally intended for ELL but now all students use the software. These programs inspire our slow readers to succeed. The skills align nicely with the state standards for Language Arts. We feel that these programs have been very beneficial to the students.

Tim Bybee, Principal
Principal, Principal, California

The software from Essential Skills is used for the Title I reading program with students who are at risk of failing. They are wonderful programs! Our assessments show significant literacy growth. The programs are very coherent and very sequential, leading the students to acquire the basic skills they need one step at a time. These programs offer excellent skill preparation for the California Achievement Test.

Virginia Martinez, Title I Resource Teacher
Ben Hulse School, Imperial, California

We love the Essential Skills programs! We use them in our after school intervention programs and throughout the day in the computer lab. We originally bought them for our EL students to use but found they were so successful, we started using them with all our students. Our school raised their tests this past year, and it was due in part to extra practice of basic skills that the Essential Skills programs offer.

Tracy Battson, Title I Teacher
Peter J. Shields Elementary, Rancho Cordova, California

Essential Skills software is a big part of our intervention program. The programs are used with 240 students. I love how effectively they reinforce the skills that we are teaching. They provide lots of stimulating practice and keep the children's interest. We are seeing a lot of progress with student test scores. The Essential Skills programs are the most important and consistent of the supplementary instructional tools we use.

Mrs. Tammy Cholly, Title I Coordinator
Mariana Elementary, Apple Valley, California

The children absolutely love the software! We have used Essential Skills programs in all our primary grades for the past three years. The programs are well organized and each child gets right to the task. The activities are short and the children get immediate feedback. This software provides the one-on-one attention needed to reinforce what we do in the classroom each day. We have not come across better skills based software.

Pam Sperber, Grade One Teacher
John Eader Elementary, Huntington Beach, California

These programs are excellent. They teach all of the skills our students need to develop as readers. There is so much in this software. It gets right to the point of teaching the skills and reinforcing learning. It keeps the interest of the students from Kindergarten to Grade Six.

Peggy Saddlemire, Computer Lab
Carnelian Elementary, Alta Loma, California

Your programs are AWESOME! They are helping our students tremendously.

Bill Young, Computer Teacher
Kern Avenue Elementary School, McFarland, California

The programs from Essential Skills are extremely beneficial in shoring up specific reading weaknesses. The literacy programs mesh perfectly with the language arts standards.

Virginia Ray, Computer Lab
Surprise Valley Elementary, Cedarville, California

We use the Super Phonics program every day. The kids think it is wonderful. One of the things I like most is that my ELL kids do very well in the programs. They get the individual English language instruction and attention they need without a teacher having to be at their side. The children are learning phonics better than they have from any other program.

Diana Raybould, Grade One Teacher
Borrego Springs Elementary, Borrego Springs, California

This is by far the most popular software with all grades. We like how the programs keep track of their progress and that all the programs follow the same pattern of teaching. The teachers really like the fact the programs are so well aligned with the state curriculum.

Laurie Pitts, Computer Lab
Pendleton Elementary School, Buena Park, California

Essential Skills Software has played a vital role in the improved achievement of the Reading Lab students at Webster School. It is the core technology component that provides practice with the strategies necessary for becoming successful readers. Through the data analysis, a marked improvement in the areas of Phonics, Decoding, Vocabulary and Comprehension has been noted. The data reflects increased reading levels for all students across the grade levels. The struggling readers have developed an enthusiasm for reading thanks to Essential Skills Computer Programs.

Wendy Woods and Kathy Gorman, Reading Lab
Webster Elementary, Madera, California

The programs are great! We always use Essential Skills programs for review to prepare the students for state testing.

Leena Phul, Technology Facilitator
Las Flores Elementary, Bellflower, California

Kids really love the program. I can't believe what your program does to help the students. I have even recommended your programs to parents.

Jane Young, Teacher
St Matthew’s Parish School, Pacific Palisades, California

The most teacher and student friendly program to use. Students can work independently.

Ruby Dellamano, Teacher
Costano Elementary, East Palo Alto, California

We use the software from Essential Skills daily. We are very happy and use it with at risk students in first through sixth grade, with ELL, and in the after school tutorial program as well. Our regular students in grades four to six are using Grammar. We are very satisfied with the results.

Barbara Smith, Computer Technologist
Emery Elementary, Buena Park, California

Super Phonics is an excellent program for primary grades, and I use it on a regular basis.

Barbara Rose, Teacher
McKinley School, Susanville, California

My teaching partner and I were able to locate 2 teachers in our region who were using many of your reading programs in an innovative and exemplary learning center. Wendy Woods and Kathy Gorman of Webster Elementary School very kindly invited us to spend the whole morning with them. It was wonderful to see the excitement of the students using the Essential Skills programs, and even more impressive to see how their instructional teams collaborated to create a visual, tactile and auditory learning environment so tightly aligned to the state-adopted Houghton-Mifflin program.

Linda Wight, Teacher
Edenvale Elementary School, San Jose, California

We use these programs with 500 students from grades K-6. The teachers and students love these programs. They are easy to follow with step by step skill development and lots of reinforcement. The children even come in at recess to work on the programs.

Rosa Lockhard, Computer Lab
Jefferson Elementary, Corona, California

Our teachers use the Grammar program from Essential Skills on a daily basis. The Grammar program is used with students from the second grade to the sixth grade. It is easy to follow, the kids like it and they are really able to focus on what they are doing even when there is lots of noise around them. They like to see their results when they exit the program at the end of each class. This program has been recommended for all the schools in our district by the office of curriculum and instruction.

Rosa Gomez, Instructional Assistant
Coronita Elementary, Norco, California

We use your Reading Comprehension programs throughout the day with the students from grades one to six. Our assessments have indicated growth of 1 and 2 years in some of the children who are several years behind in reading. All our children want to use this software.

Georgina Kneale, Special Education Resource
Grand Terrace Elementary, Grand Terrace, California

Our teachers love your programs and use them daily to develop and reinforce student academic skills. We have 13 classes using the software on a regular basis. It ties right in with the SCUSD curriculum. Last year we used the spelling rules review section of the spelling program to help our students prepare for the CaliforniaT 6 state test. These programs really motivate our students and allow them to work on the basic skills and move along at their own level and pace as skills are mastered. I would absolutely recommend Essential Skills programs to other schools.

Denise Watson, Computer Technologist
Martin Luther King Jr. School, Sacramento, California

My reluctant readers are motivated and engaged by the Essential Skills programs. They are in grades 4 to 6. I have my neediest students using the Reading Comprehension programs for twenty minutes each day. I like the fact that there are lots of vocabulary activities to go along with the comprehension questions. The students are motivated by the topics and they like being able to redo the stories to raise their scores. I like the reinforcement and the auditory components. I have been very happy with the programs!

Debbie Ramirez, Literacy Teacher
Jackson Heights Elementary, Red Bluff, California

We use the programs on a daily basis. I like that they keep track of where the students are and that they always pick up where the kids left off. They cover so many skills and are very teacher and student friendly. They are perfect for independent and individualized learning. The clues and rules make the programs easy to use for the students. We use them to prepare the students for state testing.

Jane Lafferty, IMC
Charles H. Castle School, Bakersfield, California

Essential Skills is being used in our ELD lab every day. There is a lot of content and it is easy to use. I like that the software keeps track of the student's work. The students never complain and seem to really enjoy their time using Essential Skills. The functionality of the programs is solid.

Adrian Garcia, CST
Pueblo School, Pomona, California

The Essential Skills programs are used daily in our computer lab, our regular classrooms and in our Special Education program. Our students don't get bored with the programs because there are so many different ways of learning the same information that the children do not get tired. There are many different auditory, visual and tactile learning approaches being used. This software perfectly matches our early reading programs. Our children are highly motivated when using these programs and we are seeing a big improvement in their skill development. I highly recommend this software!

Karen Morey, Computer Lab Technician
North Broadway Elementary, Escondido, California

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

I use the spelling programs from Essential Skills every day. The students are really motivated by the variety of high interest activities, and the programs keep the kids engaged for long periods of time. As a bonus I can enter my own spelling lists for individual students and classes. Also, the reporting and tracking system is excellent! My students and I love this software!

Suanne Miller, Resource Specialist
Hooker Oak Elementary, Chico, California

These programs are perfectly aligned with the Open Court program and everything that I am teaching in the classroom. They provide good review with immediate feedback thereby promoting self-esteem. The phonics programs are good for reinforcing skills with weaker students. They receive positive reinforcement for their effort which promotes accelerated learning. The programs allow students to work independently at their own pace while motivating them every step of the way. The wide variety of activities in each program ensures that students never get bored.

Francesca Schomberg, Grade One Teacher
Martin Luther King School, Sacramento, California

The Reading Comprehension programs are being used in our ELD lab every day. There is lots of practical, easy to use content and the programs have a good reporting system to track student progress. 18 of the 20 students have made gains since the December District Wide Assessment. Much of these gains can be directly attributed to the time spent on the Essential Skills programs each week. It is challenging yet fun for the ELD students. The students never complain and really seem to enjoy their time learning. They are also having a much easier time on the California English Language Development Test. They are quickly developing word recognition, decoding and vocabulary skills and are now proficient in completing activities, understanding instructions coping with the district and state testing requirements.

Daniel Toscano, Resource Teacher
Pueblo School, Pomona, California

We are very pleased with the programs we have ordered from Essential Skills. They are being used on a daily basis and we have 400 K to 4 students using the software regularly. The teachers like the variety of activities in each level and they are excited about the fact that the programs address so many different skills. Each program has lots of different types of activities that appeal to all kinds of learners. The teachers feel that these programs are excellent at building and reinforcing basic skills.

Anita McCready, Instructional Computer Aide
Lincoln Elementary, Yuba City, California

Our grade one through six students as well as those in Special Education have daily practice with the programs from Essential Skills. Our kids enjoy the programs because they are actually learning the skills they need and they find that motivating and rewarding. The teachers feel that these are excellent programs to supplement and reinforce their curriculum and that the skills are aligned with the California standards.

Radhika Agarwal, Instructional Lab Tutor
Fremont, California

The programs from Essential Skills provide excellent supplementary curriculum instruction for our students. They are easy for the children to navigate. There are lots of cues so the children never get stuck. Each program has hundreds of activities but each activity is short enough that the students can always feel successful before moving to the next skill. Every child regardless of ability can work independently at their own level. Also, the programs are working great on OSX.

Roger Ashworth, Computer Technology Teacher
Zamorano Fine Arts Academy, San Diego, California

We're real pleased with the results we've achieved with the programs from Essential Skills. They provide engaging and excellent practice for our students to learn the necessary reading comprehension and vocabulary skills for their grade level. The teachers use this software to help prepare their children for state testing. The students enjoy working on them and each program has enough levels to provide a starting point that every child can achieve at.

Vicky Weatherby, Media Specialist
West Point Elem, West Point, California

We have been using Essential Skills programs for four years. The reading comprehension programs are excellent. Each program has a many interesting stories with a huge variety of comprehension and vocabulary activities to appeal to every child. The kids see these activities almost as a game as opposed to actually learning skills. These programs are very useful in preparation for state testing because they provide excellent reinforcement of the skills taught in the classroom. They are self pacing so no child is ever held up by someone else. The children work independently at their own pace and level.

Kathy LaRocco, Grade Three Teacher
Suisun Valley Elementary, Fairfield, California

We have a variety of programs from Essential Skills that we use on a daily basis with our students in grades 4, 5 and 6. I love the focus on the educational aspect of the software. We bought a variety of programs for a variety of needs. It is easy to target the skills to each student so they can work independently at their own level and pace. Even the most challenged children are able to benefit. These are ideal supplementary skills programs for all children and especially for those with special needs.

Kelli Masek, Special Education Teacher
Burton C. Elementary, Chula Vista, California

The programs from Essential Skills are quite intuitive. They address the specific needs of our students. We use them as part of our reading program with our general students and our children for whom English is not their first language. The students work on these programs independently and at their own level and pace. We have had eight years of sustained growth in our AYP/API results and the Reading Comprehension programs from Essential Skills have definitely played a role in that growth.

Randy Helvey, Teacher
Park Avenue Elementary, Yuba City, California

We use Essential Skills programs everyday. The kids really enjoy using the programs and all students are able work independently at their own pace regardless of ability level. The skills taught are well organized and correlate to our curriculum standards. The individual needs of our students are being met with these programs.

Christine Ervin, Resource Specialist
John L. Golden Elementary, Etiwanda, California

We have used Essential Skills programs for many years. We love everything about these programs. The kids love them and their learning is being transferred to their written work. They are always asking to use the programs because they enjoy the activities, the reinforcement and the fact that they are actually learning.

Susie Simpson, Grade One Teacher
Borrego Springs Elementary, Borrego, California

Essential Skills software is a big part of our intervention program. The programs are used with 240 students. I love how effectively they reinforce the skills that we are teaching. They provide lots of stimulating practice and keep the children's interest. We are seeing a lot of progress with student test scores. The Essential Skills programs are the most important and consistent of the supplementary instructional tools we use.

Mrs. Tammy Cholly, Title I Teacher Coordinator
Mariana Elementary, Apple Valley, California

We have nearly all the programs from Essential Skills. They are excellent! We love them and use them both during the school day and for intervention after school. The programs are very effective at teaching the basic skills. I am always amazed at how many levels there are in each program. The children are very engaged and quiet when using this software.

Louise Walker, Computer Resource Assistant
Calimesa Elem, Yucaipa, California

It is amazing how half-baked most affordable educational software is. The programs from Essential Skills, however, offer interesting & entertaining software which to its core is truly educational and designed for use in an educational environment. You folks are one of very few really on the right track. Keep it up!

Stu Bryant, Computer Lab
Dos Palos Elementary, Dos Palos, California

The progress tracking system is absolutely indispensable. The software becomes many times more effective this way. I also appreciate its network efficiency. I love having the option during the installation process to run it from the server or just use the server for data management. This is simply the best bang for the buck I've seen yet for curriculum based software.

Stu Bryant, Computer Lab
Dos Palos Elementary, Dos Palos, California

Our four primary classrooms use the Essential Skills programs daily. All students are able to work independently at their own level and speed. The tracking and reporting system does a good job of monitoring their progress. These programs offer excellent basic skill instruction that is aligned with what we are teaching in the classroom.

Mrs. Nicole Hunter, first grade Teacher
Moiola Elementary, , California

I would highly recommend the Essential Skills programs to other teachers for phonics based skill instruction. The children love the programs and don't get frustrated. They can work independently at their own level and the skills are presented in a sequential manner that allows them to achieve success every step of the way.

Stacy Degrano, Librarian
St. Felicitas School, San Leandro, California

We have been getting great results using Essential Skills. These programs are excellent and aligned with what is taught in the classroom. This is great curriculum based software and the kids love it as well!

Grace Wong, Intervention Specialist
Stanton Elementary, Castro Valley, California

We love your programs and wish we had the money to purchase more. Our children are completely engaged in the programs and strive to do their best to progress through the skills. They are also able to work independently at their own level and pace. Our teachers believe that these programs cover the skills in a very comprehensive manner. Also, the reports are easy to access and you can see at a glance how students and classrooms are progressing through the skills.

Rosei Goldsmith, Tech Coordinator
Serrano Elementary, Villa Park, California

The programs from Essential Skills address the standards in our district. The skills reflect and support what we teach in the classroom. The nine programs we have are used on a daily basis. We have 37 classes and everyone loves this software.

Mr. Johns, Grade 5 Teacher
Kelly Elementary, Compton, California

I have students who would rather work on Essential Skills than go to recess. These programs teach the skills that young children need in a sequential, systematic manner. The instruction is self pacing allowing the children to move ahead at their own level and speed. These are high quality, research and evidence based programs.

Sandra Crandall, Reading Specialist
Moiola Elementary, California

Essential Skills programs offer great value and are completely engaging to all of our students. I can monitor student progress and match skills in programs with what is being taught in the regular program. These programs are making a big difference for our students and their skill development. We do a lot of research on computer software and these programs are the best! For depth of content I would rate Essential Skills above all others.

Christina Miller, RSP Specialist
Woodcrest Elem., Riverside, California

With the amount of curriculum that teachers need to cover, there is not enough time for rote skill practice and review. Super Phonics and Mastering Numeration do a really good job of that kind practice. The programs are fun and easy for the children to navigate through and use. I find these programs very useful when I have children who are resistant to doing the table top type tasks. The children are motivated and find the programs fun and exciting. The record keeping component is good and they provide for flexibility of instruction.

Mary Mahoney, Special Education
Memorial School, Medfield, Massachusetts

Our school covers grades four to six and my students are working at a grade one to five level. They use ESS programs everyday. I have even lent my Sight Words program to the speech teacher. I also make my own custom spelling lists and the Spelling program automatically creates activities for the students. My students are also using the programs to supplement their classroom work. I have noticed significant student performance gains from using this software.

Alice Walker, Special Education Teacher
Anne T. Dunphy School, Williamsburg, Massachusetts

I have noticed definite performance gains with my students. They find the programs very motivating and know they are learning. It is a refreshing change from using pen and paper to learn the concepts. These programs are very helpful with reinforcing skills, especially the phonetic skills. I would highly recommend ESS programs.

Joan Frank, Remedial Reading Teacher
Hopkins Elementary, Hopkinton, Massachusetts

I love ESS programs and I use them every day with my students. I teach children with a lot of deficits - learning disabled, down's syndrome etc. We have incorporated the programs into our language curriculum. We love the Creative Writing program.

Lynn Vesley, Speech & Language Pathologist
Hampshire Reg. HS, Westhampton, Massachusetts

The programs from Essential Skills are used several times each day in our computer lab. We have been using them for several years. The teachers love using these programs to reinforce classroom instruction. The skills taught are closely aligned with our early reading and math curriculums. These programs are a real hit!

Edward Earnest, Technology Assistant
Elmood St. School, Millbury, Massachusetts

We use Essential Skills software as a skill building and reinforcement tool. We use the Readiness program every day with our Kindergarten, Pre Kindergarten and Pre School children. The program addresses all the skills we are looking at for that age level. The children love the software! It is skill practice but they don't know they are practicing. We like that it covers all of the readiness skills the children need to learn to read and do math.

Lesley Belanger, Kindergarten Teacher
Shrewsbury Children’s Center, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts

Your programs are high-interest programs and are very student and teacher friendly. Students can work independently. These are very good programs. We use them once a week.

Dean Seward, Special Education Teacher
Huntington School, Huntington, Oregon

We love ESS programs. Our students are using them for 20 minutes everyday. They are user friendly and we like the visuals. We feel that the programs are impacting our students' learning.

Gail Spears, Title I Teacher
Myrtle Creek Elementary, Myrtle Creek, Oregon

We are a Beacon School for the state of Oregon and have done an exemplary job implementing Oregon Reading First. We use the Super Phonics programs from Essential Skills on a regular basis with Title I students. The programs are well organized in terms of the sequencing, practice and reinforcement of skill instruction. They are excellent programs to supplement classroom work.

Candice Julien, Title I Teacher
Jefferson Elementary, Medford, Oregon

We are very happy with student's results. The students and teachers love the programs.

Melodie Safford, Librarian
State Line Elementary, New Pine Creek, Oregon

With Essential Skills Software the students can work independently at their own level on the reading and math skills they need. The students and teachers love the software.

Dan Blaydon, Grade One Teacher
Hoover Elementary, Medford, Oregon

We have 2 computers in our classroom. The kids rotate using them. Someone is using ESS programs every day. They are used as a station in our reading group. I find the programs to be a good assessment tool. The programs are easy to use and easy to hear. I think the Marks Manager is very good. I am so happy with ESS compared to the programs we were using last year - the children are learning, not just saving a princess in the castle! I am very, very happy with your products.

Jo Bunch, Grade 2 Teacher
Faith Bible Christian School, Aloha, Oregon

We have 7 ESS spelling programs form grade 1 to 6. The Grade 1 & 2students use the programs on a weekly basis for 1 to 2 hours. We like the ability to customize spelling lists. The programs are user friendly and I have noticed improvements in the students' work.

Heidi Fettinger, Grade Six Teacher
Suntex Elementary, Riley, Oregon

We chose Sight Words and Vocabulary Builders 3 because we thought that 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade would be able to use them. The programs have met a lot of needs - we love them. The 1st & 2nd graders are using the programs 25-30 minutes a day in a lab setting. The 3rd graders are using Vocabulary Builders for 30 minutes twice a week. The kids love them - even their typing has improved! I like the Marks Manager because the activities are all listed. We are really excited about your programs.

Carol Owen, Title I/Kindergarten
Fremont Hay Elementary, Lakeview, Oregon

Super Phonics and Sight Words are great programs. I can't wait until we get more Essential Skills in our school. My kids always look forward to using the programs. I like that they are learning the skills they need.

Patti McCambridge, Special Ed. Assistant
Abraham Lincoln Elementary, Medford, Oregon

Our school was recently invited to become a Beacon School for Oregon. One of the programs I use daily with my students is Sight Words. The higher grades use the Super Phonics and Reading Comprehensions. They provide the children with immediate feedback and reinforcement. They are well paced and very user friendly. There is lots of practice and repetition of the skills. The children are able to work independently and at their own level. Super Phonics is an excellent supplemental program to my direct classroom instruction. My kids love these programs!

Shellie Schaan, First Grade Teacher
Jefferson Elementary, Medford, Oregon

We are very pleased with the programs from Essential Skills and use them regularly. They are wonderful for the fact that the children can work independently at their own ability level and pace. They offer good value as there is a one-time payment for each program but the license has unlimited duration.

Diane Sutton, Title I Teacher Literacy Teacher
Bush Elementary School, Salem, Oregon

Your programs fulfill the spectrum of needs for our students. They offer lots and lots of practice and are very motivating for the children. They are particularly useful for kids needing remediation. They stay completely engaged when using these programs.

Deborah Barnes, Media Specialist
Bush Elementary School, Salem, Oregon

Our grade 4, 5 and 6 students love Mad Minute from Essential Skills. The Super Phonics programs are great and are loaded with skill building activities. The children love them. The programs keep them engaged. The kids are motivated by the programs and they never get bored. We use Success Maker as well and love both Essential Skills and Success Maker as they complement each other very well.

Margaret Bruland, Title I Teacher
Washington Elementary, Medford, Oregon

The programs from Essential Skills are very effective and a great supplement to classroom instruction. They are helping our students immensely with their reading and comprehension. Our students are motivated by the programs and are able to work independently at their own pace regardless of ability level. All students can achieve literacy with Essential Skills.

Marilyn Simmons, ERC Specialist
Peterson Elementary, Klamath Falls, Oregon

One of my students has improved from grade level 2.7 to 6.6 in just 11 months by using your programs. I have other students who have jumped two grade levels in just three to four months. Your programs are fantastic!

Wayne Flenke
Teacher

We used the Essential Skills math programs in our Grade 4 after school tutoring program. Our tutoring program required pre and post testing. We saw improved scores and in some cases dramatically improved scores at the conclusion of this program.

Beth Perry
Instructional Technology Resource Teacher

We have 5 programs from Essential Skills at our school. The students love the programs. We use them as remediation and as a supplement to our curriculum. We received great value for our money with this software.

Marlys Kaussman, Second Grade Teacher
Flagler Public School, Flagler, Colorado

Sight Words is on every computer in our school. The teachers and students love the program. The primary grades use it daily. The older students use it for remediation. We previewed the program last year and said: We want it, we want it, we want it!

Jeanne Vollmar, Technology Coordinator
Cherry Drive Elementary, Thornton, Colorado

Essential Skills Software definitely provides excellent practice and reinforcement of the skills we work on in the resource room. I like the fact that it is easy for the students to use independently at their own level and pace.

Jerry Brockway, Resource Teacher
Foothill Elementary, Boulder, Colorado

We use Essential Skills programs for our ELouisiana & LD students. Sight Words is very important for the ELouisiana students and has really helped them develop their speaking and reading fluency.

Sandy Gallardo, Computer Technologist
Virginia Court Elementary, Aurora, Colorado

The programs from Essential Skills Software are used a great deal in our school. The kids never seem to tire of them. These programs teach the skills in a fun yet instructive manner.

Susie Kester, Building Technologist
Shelton Elementary, Golden, Colorado

We have Essential Skills programs in the computer lab and also in the Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 classrooms. These programs have made a real difference for our primary students in supporting the development of their basic skills.

Mary Jo Gallahan, Media Specialist
Riffenburgh Elementary, Fort Collins, Colorado

Essential Skills programs are used for 30 minutes daily in our school - especially in Grade One. We have noticed a definite improvement in reading fluency & vocabulary.

Jana Benker, Computer Technologist
Fremont Elementary, Florence, Colorado

We couldn't be more pleased with our Essential Skills programs. They are definitely a major helping component of our reading success. We purchased the programs through Read to Achieve funding. They are indispensable to our reading program.

Bonnie Snyder, Reading Specialist
Antelope Ridge Elementary, Aurora, Colorado

I really like your software. It is the best overall package for our students. For 1st graders to work quietly for 45 minutes on anything is something!

Dan Clark, Technology Coordinator
Dakota Valley Elementary, Aurora, Colorado

We have been using the three Reading Comprehension programs from Essential Skills during the day and in our after school tutoring program. We have a lot of children that are reading one to three years below grade level. Their comprehension skills are low. We use the software with both special education kids and general students. The Marks Manager is very easy to use and print out progress reports. The stories are interesting and topical with good pictures. We feel that the activities are designed to appeal to all types of learners. There is a variety of comprehension and vocabulary questions in each story. Even the typing activities offer excellent keyboarding skills. The students really love these programs. They even ask to come at recess to work on their reading comprehension.

Carol Kent, Special Education Teacher
Le Baron Elementary School, Pontiac, Michigan

We use Essential Skills daily. These programs take non readers to a point were we see observable improvement in many children over the course of the year. They work great for my ESL kids so I believe they can work for anyone. I highly recommend these programs

Ann Asmar, ESL Parapro
Martell Elementary, Troy, Michigan

The Essential Skills programs have been very effective with my ESL students. They are easy to use and provide lots of visuals with simplified vocabulary. My students love the programs and look forward to using them to develop their skills. I am very happy with the programs and recommend them to other teachers

Stephanie Hyska, ESL Teacher
Boulan Park Middle School, Troy, Michigan

The Essential Skills programs are being used on a regular basis in our computer lab and in our grade 1-4 classrooms. The kids love the programs and think they are playing even though they are practicing and learning important skills. These programs are an excellent supplement to our classroom Language Arts program. They are used as a learning tool with the more needy kids and as reinforcement for others. The ease of use and range of skills provided make these programs accessible to all students regardless of ability.

Linda Winslow, Title I Teacher
Edgewood Elementary, Fruitport, Michigan

My resource students and regular students love this software. The students beg to work on it. The Sight Words program is helping the students become much more fluent in reading. The custom Spelling List Maker is an excellent feature of the Spelling programs.

Patty Doering, Resource Teacher
St. Mary’s School, Spring Lake, Michigan

I use Essential Skills Programs exclusively. I love the Reading Comprehension programs. They train the students to answer many different types of comprehension and vocabulary questions. There are so many stories and activities in each of these programs that none of my children have been able to complete the comprehension programs. The children really enjoy the programs because they are fun to do. I don't think they realize how much they are learning.

Ruth Morris, Grade Three/Four Teacher
St. Mary’s School, Paw Paw, Michigan

We use Essential Skills programs daily. The kids really are getting a lot out of this software. They are benefiting greatly from the Grammar program. They now know the rules of grammar and they are carrying this knowledge over in the classroom. Their grammar and general language skills are improving in all areas. They enjoy using the software immensely. The reading comprehension programs have a variety of excellent activities to appeal to all types of learners. I really like how the Marks Manager works with all the programs.

Jean Fadder, Computer Teacher
Dove Academy, Detroit, Michigan

Our students use the Essential Skills programs weekly. The students really enjoy the software. We use the Spell Master series with grades four, five and six. The word choice is good for the grade level. The Spelling List Maker allows us to enter our own word lists and the program automatically creates all the activities for the words. These are great programs!

Brent McCarty, Computer Teacher
St. Joseph’s School, Pewamo, Michigan

Our Grade Two Teacher and our Special Education Teacher ordered the software because they felt it addressed some of the Michigan benchmarks. We use Super Phonics with grades one and two and the Reading Comprehension programs with students in grades one to four. The software from Essential Skills is among my favorites. It is all about learning skills but still fun for the kids. The reward pictures for mastering skills are wonderful. The kids love them!

Patti Perfetti, Instructional Technology Assistant
Chassell Township Schools, Chassell, Michigan

We use the Essential Skills programs with all 29 of our K-3 classes. I like the navigational consistency of the programs. Regardless of ability level there is a wide enough range of skills to satisfy the needs of any student. They are easy to use and teach the appropriate skills to every age and ability level. Also, they are extremely cost effective for network versions. The programs never lock up on us and are the most reliable software on our network.

Mary Slezak, Computer Teacher
South Maple Elementary, Gaylord, Michigan

We love the Essential Skills programs and use them all the time. They are comprehensive and offer great practice and reinforcement to supplement classroom instruction. They are also invaluable for children who require intervention. My students are very motivated by these programs and feel that that they are successful learners. This is great software!

Mrs. Sharon Ford, Special Education Teacher
Garfield Elementary, Wyandotte, Michigan

Our children all love these programs. When you talk about direct instruction this software has it down cold. Each program leads the children through the skills in a sequential, step by step manner, keeping track of their progress and where they left off. The children feel so successful and rightly so. They know that they really are learning.

Kathleen Liartis, Title I Teacher
David Leech Elementary, Leechburg, Pennsylvania

The programs from Essential Skills are great at teaching children at all ability levels. I found the most improvement in student behavior when using these programs. My students have a lot of behavior and attention deficit problems but these programs keep their interest and attention completely. This is the number one curriculum software that I use with my students.

Sherrie Reuter, Title I Teacher
Kerr Elementary, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

We're thrilled with your programs, and are using them non-stop! Our students and staff absolutely love the Essential Skills programs. The skills in these programs parallel our standards based curriculum. Without question, this is the most popular software in our elementary schools.

Dr. Cheryl Griffith, Asst. Superintendent
Hampton Twp. S.D., Allison, Pennsylvania

I have been using programs from Essential Skills for four or five years. I've been very satisfied with this software. It's great for working one on one with students and for independent learning. There is a wide variety of great visual and auditory presentation for students of different learning styles. The comprehension programs are excellent for building fluency. One thing that has been very positive for us is using the Marks Manager to print reports for parent conferences so they can see exactly what the children have been working on and how they are doing. I recommend this software highly.

John Bennison, Reading Specialist
Hartwood Elementary, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

We love Essential Skills Software. The skills are right on target as far as grade level skills go but you can readily use the software with older students with limited ability. I like the reports. They give lots of relevant detail. The children never get bored using these programs. This is great software!

Pamela Stein, Comp. Teacher
New Wilmington Elementary, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania

We currently have several of your titles and I like them very much. Your software is very user-friendly from the teacher and student standpoint. As a first grade teacher, the ability to have all the students working at their own pace is great! My stronger students are able to move along quickly and be challenged and at the same time my slower students are getting more practice and not feeling pressured to move as quickly.

Karen Truax, Teacher
Emerson Elementary, West Mifflin, Pennsylvania

I love how your programs keep the children's attention.

Sr. Judith Moeller, Teacher
IHM Educational Center, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

We have many Essential Skills programs that are being used on a daily basis in the classrooms and in the computer lab. These programs are great for individualizing instruction and independent practice. They are easy to use and we like the record keeping that goes with the programs. Essential Skills programs focus on the specific curriculum skills the children need, while motivating them to do their best.

Fran Lemke, Reading Support Teacher
Central Elementary, Allison Park, Pennsylvania

I buy educational software for eight schools in our district. The feedback I get from my teachers is that the programs from Essential Skills are appealing, well organized and kid friendly. The skills are curriculum based and build upon one another in a sequential manner. They are well presented with interesting graphics and good use reward and reinforcement. The children enjoy using the software.

Barb Smith, Federal Programs Director
Dubois Area School District, Dubois, Pennsylvania

We use Essential Skills everyday with our children and we love it! The programs are easy to use and the kids can work independently learning the skills. Essential Skills programs are a natural extension of the instructional process for us. Also, these programs offer great value!

Theresa Eidson, Computer Lab Teacher
Surgoinsville Elem, Surgoinsville, Tennessee

We love the programs from Essential Skills! I have observed measurable improvements in the basic skill levels of my students as a direct result of using this intervention software.

Shellie Wood
Special Needs Coordinator