Skip to content Welcome to the Essential Skills 14-Day Free Trial! This FAQ page is here to help you get the most out of your trial experience. Whether you’re setting up student access, exploring individualized learning features, or reviewing reports, you’ll find answers to the most common questions below.
Still have questions?
We’re here to help! Contact us or give us a call at 1-800-753-3727 — our team is happy to assist you.
How much does it cost to continue after the trial?
We offer simple, all-access pricing that gives you unlimited use of all Essential Skills programs for one low annual fee:
$299 per classroom (1 teacher, up to 35 reassignable student seats, 1-year subscription)
$599 per school (Covers all students and staff at one school site, 1-year subscription)
This includes full access to our complete K–6 curriculum in reading, math, ELL, science, and geography — with no upsells or hidden fees.
👉 Request a quote or contact us to learn more about district pricing.
How do I give my students access to the free trial?
Direct your students to www.abc423.com and have them enter your trial School ID. Then, they can log in using their assigned usernames and passwords.
Can students use the trial at home?
Yes! Students can access the trial from any location. Just send them to www.abc423.com, have them enter your School ID, and then log in with their credentials. It’s perfect for homework and at-home reinforcement.
How do I add or remove students?
Log in to your Demo Teacher Dashboard, click the Students tab, then use the Add Students and Delete buttons.
Note: You’ll need to select students before the Delete button becomes active.
How do I edit student usernames and passwords?
Log in to your Demo Teacher Dashboard, click the Students tab, then select the student you want to edit. Use the Edit button to update their username or password. You can follow these step-by step directions for guidance.
Security tip: We encourage setting a unique password for each student to help protect their accounts and maintain privacy.
How do I individualize instruction for my students?
Yes. Most Essential Skills programs include a built-in pretest that automatically creates an individualized learning path. The pretest identifies areas where each student needs support and assigns only those skills — saving time and targeting instruction effectively.
Watch this 3-minute video to learn how to assign a pretest.
Where can I view student performance reports?
Click the Reports tab in your Demo Teacher Dashboard to access detailed, real-time reporting tools. You’ll find:
Skill Reports – Track performance by individual skill
Activity Reports – View results for each activity
Unit Reports – See overall performance by unit
Pre/Post-Test Reports – Measure student growth over time
Mastery Reports – See which activities have been mastered (default: 80%)
Hot Spot Reports – Identify areas of difficulty (activities attempted 3+ times without mastery)
Are the programs compatible with tablets and mobile devices?
Yes! Essential Skills programs work on PC, Mac, iPad, Android, and Chromebook. However, our programs are optimized for use on Chromebooks, which provide the best overall experience for students in a school setting.
📲 Follow these instructions to set up student iPads for use with the trial.
Do you have programs for older students?
Yes! Essential Skills offers several options designed to support older learners:
Try the Senior Student Theme for a more age-appropriate interface.
Explore our High-Interest, Low-Vocabulary reading programs, developed specifically for remedial students in grades 4–10. These titles include engaging stories written at a lower vocabulary level to ensure success for struggling readers. Each story features both a vocabulary-building mode and a comprehension skill-building mode to reinforce essential reading skills.
Is a server-based version available?
Yes. Essential Skills programs are available as either a web-based subscription or a perpetual server-based (desktop) license. The full desktop suite is available for a one-time cost of $2,995 and is compatible with Windows PCs only. This option is ideal for schools that prefer a local installation without ongoing subscription fees.
👉 Contact us to request a quote or learn more about our desktop licensing options.
Do you have research showing your programs work?
Yes. Essential Skills has over 25 years of proven results.
Visit our Research and Results page to explore the data and success stories.
What’s your satisfaction guarantee?
We stand behind our programs 100%. When you subscribe:
Use the programs 2–3 times per week for at least 20–30 minutes per session.
If you don’t see measurable student gains within 6 months, we’ll refund your subscription — no questions asked.