Montana

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

Cindy Worrall, Principal, Frenchtown Elementary, Frenchtown, 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."

Lori Donnelley, Special Education Teacher, Trail Creek School, Ismay, 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."

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

Bev O'Hara, Special Education Teacher, Fort Benton Elementary, Fort Benton, Montana
"We use Essential Skills programs before state testing to help prepare our students. Reading Comprehension is especially helpful. Our kids love this software."

Kay Christensen, Grade 4, 5, 6 Teacher Flaxville Public School, Flaxville, 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."

Norman Singley, Computer Technologist, Bonner School District, Bonner, 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."

Bonnie Brule, Technology Instructor, Crow Agency Elementary, Crow Agency, 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."

Kerry Drye, Computer Teacher, Arlee Elementary School, Arlee, 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."

Margee Bronec, Grade 1/2 teacher, Geraldine Elementary, Geraldine, 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."