Illinois

Dianne Atkinson, Computer Teach er, Hedges Elementary, Chicago, 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!"

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

Michaelene Kusz, Special Education, St. Constance School, 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."

Judy Wedryk, Grade One Teacher, Sacred Heart School, Chicago, 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."

Nancy Heppner, Mark Twain Elementary, Alton, Illinois
"Our teachers love the fact that the programs track the childrens' 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."

Bob Kormorech, Federal Program Director/Technology Coordinator, Meridian SD, Mounds, 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 ID's and setup information. The kids love using the software and our teachers feel very positive about how these programs complement the curriculum."

Judy Pharis, Cornell Elementary, Cornell, Illinois
"We pre-test and post test and have definite improvements in both word recognition and phonics skills. The Title One Teacher uses Essential Skills programs daily for remedial students."

Charlotte Farell, Seneca North Elementary, Seneca, 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."

LoAnn Orr, Brown County Elem., Mt. Sterling, Illinois
"We love your programs, and don't want to use anything else!"

Barbara Jacobs, Lena-Winslow CSD #202, Lena, 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. Petersburg Elementary, Petersburg, 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."

Pam Olivito, Tech Coord., P L Bolin Elementary, East Peoria, Illinois
"I like the fact that the programs can run on the network without any problems."

Gayle M. Ryan, Technology Integration, Ray Graham Training Center, 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!"

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

Jan Burger, Special Education Teacher, Stueben Elementary, Kankakee, 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."

Sharon Carr, Computer Teacher, Lincoln Elementary, River Forest, 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."

Gerry Bryak, Reading Teacher, Alden-Hebron Elementary, Hebron, 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."

Jill Kocsis, Computer Lab Teacher, W.S. Beaupre School, Aurora, Illinois
"The programs from Essential Skills are appropriate for many levels of learning. They meet the needs of many types of learners and we use them to help differentiate instruction for our students. The programs correlate with the classroom curriculums. They are excellent supplemental programs to reinforce the skills taught in the classroom. As a bonus, the kids never complain about these programs. They love the variety of activities and the reinforcement."

Sheila Watson, Library and Media Coordinator, Pekin SD, Pekin, Illinois
"Our teachers love using the programs from Essential Skills. The programs are skill based and methodically teach and reinforce the skills in a way that engages the children to learn. We consider Essential Skills Software one of the most reputable software companies. We never have tech support issues and we love the tracking and reporting features of the Marks Manager that come with each program."

Mrs. Sharon Gahlbeck, Grade One Teacher, White Swan Elementary, Rockford, 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 at their pace 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."

Pat Harkins, 1st grade teacher, Lincoln Elementary, Highland Park, 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."