Ontario

Stephen Elliott, Principal, Nationview Public School, South Mountain, Ontario
"As the principal of an elementary school with a limited curriculum budget you can't find better value than the programs from Essential Skills to help students develop their basic reading and math skills."

Dorothy Lapierre, Grade One Teacher, Westminster Public School, Brockville, Ontario
"Reading levels improved for all students. The PM Benchmark assessment from Nelson Publications indicated increases from 3 levels to 10 levels which translates to a one and a half grade level increase."

Terry Wall, Teacher, Renfrew, Ontario
"I have been working with children with special needs and I love watching them work with these programs. I really would like to tell you that it is revolutionary in aiding children with exceptionalities- well done!"

Dan Brumm, Calabogie Public School, Calibogie, Ontario
"Students love the programs! They are easy to use, and highly motivational."

Wendy Ness-Jack, Early Literacy Teacher, D.M. Sutherland P.S., Woodstock, Ontario
"The kids really love these programs. We have been using them with great success for years. Our teachers particularly love the marks manager reporting system."

Nell Vanurennout, Trinity Christian School, Burlington, Ontario
"We love your products."

Anna Alexander, Principal, Lansdowne Public School, Lansdowne, Ontario
"Our students' benchmark reading levels have improved dramatically since we started using the Early Literacy Programs from Essential Skills. Our kids are enjoying these programs thoroughly and are developing confidence in their ability to read and understand what they are reading."

Katherine McLeod, Harold F Loughin Public School, Brampton, Ontario
"The programs are easy to use and the children love them. There is lots of enthusiasm from the students. I have recommended these programs to other teachers in my school and district. I think they are wonderful."

Alf Platts, Special Education Teacher, New Dublin Public School, New Dublin, Ontario
"These programs are clearly designed by teachers who understand how to maximize student learning. We are very pleased with the results."

Carol Birnie, Moosonee Public School, Moosonee, Ontario
"The students are lining up at the door to use the Essential Skills Programs. It's a very different way of teaching, and the children love it!"

Sharon Grey, Edward Street Public School, St. Thomas, Ontario
"Your programs are phenomenal. My students can work independently and they see their success immediately."

Carol Craigen, Special Education Resource Teacher, Elgin Public School, Elgin, Ontario
"Some programs are not easy for students to understand, yet the Essential Skills series is designed for independent student use - even the Special Education students who sometimes require additional support. The varied "games" made the student feel as if he was not doing "work" in spelling, but simply playing the games! They really enjoyed the review at the end of each session. Looking at their success rate and percentages was rewarding for them, and they would compare levels achieved!"

Judy MacDonald, Grade Teacher, Durham District Community School, Ontario
"The data I collected was gathered by doing a simple pre-test and post-test. To add to this I had each student do a decoding test (San Diego Quick Assessment) in September and again in June. This assessment tells me at what grade level a student can decode. As you can see the most remarkable results are from a student who has been using the Super Phonics program for two years. He went from a Grade 1 level to a Grade 5 level!"

C. Fox, Primary Special Education Teacher, Westminster Public School, Brockville, Ontario
"I just wanted to let you know how well the Essential Skills computer programs work. I have been using the Super Phonics and Sight Words programs with my students. The grade one's, who are very needy, have been using Super Phonics. This program has been able to provide the children with the repetition that is required for these students. Most of these children have attention problems, but with this program they continue to work without distraction. In the Sight Words program the children are trying to remember how to spell. It is great to listen to them making up their own way to remember how to spell the words! They would not do this on their own if you gave them a list of words to study. The grade three's reading fluency has improved since they do not struggle over the sight words. This has also improved their self-confidence when reading."

Margot Snow, Special Education Resource Teacher, Ontario
"Algonquin School is very happy with the Essential Skills Programs we've been using since February. The students I see for resource assistance are always so keen to join me in the computer lab to work on the Sight Words lists. They yell out to me with enthusiasm when all of their stars are complete and yellow."

William Young, Kern Avenue School, Ontario
"Your programs are AWESOME! They are helping our students tremendously."

Gordon Muir, Grade 4 Teacher, Harrowsmith Elementary, Ontario
"The reading comprehension programs are excellent! The stories are very well written and the auditory cues guarantee success for early readers."

Roy Evans, Upper Canada District School Board, Ontario
"As a grade three teacher and a member of our district computer advisory committee, I have used Super Phonics extensively. It is an interesting, well designed program that I would recommend as a teaching or remedial tool."

Frances Butcher, Literacy Instructor/Retired Teacher, Simco, Ontario
"I have recommended your programs to many teachers. My students love them! The repetition and immediate rewards along with the familiar formats benefit all my students from the young children to the older adults I work with. These programs offer a great variety of activities that utilize both visual and auditory learning channels. Thank you!"

Bev Wright, Teacher, Warkworth Correctional Institution, Campbellford, Ontario
"I work with adults with severe learning difficulties and they are experiencing great satisfaction and success with the programs from Essential Skills. These adults often have little or no computer experience but they are quickly able to use the programs easily and independently. This software definitely fosters their self confidence and motivation to learn. I test progress on an ongoing basis and my students make steady progress."

Gerlando Sdao, IT instructor and ESL teacher, Derrydown PS, Toronto, Ontario
"Being able to individualize these programs to suit the ability level of each student makes a big difference. If we could put every student in the school on these programs for 15-20 minutes per day we would significantly improve reading comprehension scores throughout our school."

Mr. Brian Herman, MART, Humewood Community School, TDSB Toronto, Ontario
"These programs are an essential, daily part of my Special Education resource program. They develop phonetic awareness and word recognition skills in my students, leading to improved reading and comprehension skills. My students find the software very enjoyable and never tire of it. This software is very user friendly and the student progress tracking device is great for conferencing with teachers and reporting to parents."

Katharine Leverette, SST, Perth Road PS., Limestone SB, Ontario
"Over the past four years I have purchased thirty programs from Essential Skills and use them on a daily basis with students experiencing literacy difficulties. I love the way these programs motivate my students and cover the basic skills in such a thorough and logical manner. The instructions for each program are clear and easy to follow. This software is extremely effective in the development and retention of basic reading and math skills for students. I highly recommend these programs!"

Jim Holstrom, Teacher/Network Manager, Burnt Elementary, Brampton, Ontario
"We love the evaluation component of Essential Skills programs and use it for conferencing. The Assessment programs are a great way to do a controlled, authentic, whole class assessment. I am very fond of the Super Phonics and Reading Comprehension programs for early literacy learning. I get terrific feedback from my teachers and the kids never get bored with the wide variety of activities within the programs."

Debbie Moss, Special Education Teacher, Marshall Park PS, North Bay, Ontario
"Essential Skills software is a vital part of our programming for a wide range of student needs at varying ability levels. We use about eight programs everyday. We have been using some of the older programs for almost 10 years. It is a great tool to use, even with the autistic kids. It allows for individualized and independent skills development. The older students who are working at a younger level can work at these programs without rejecting them as being babyish."

Jane Andree, Resource Teacher, Dunnville Christian School, Dunnville, Ontario
"I have been using Essential Skills three times a week for at least five years with my students. I love the programs because they are focused, with no nonsense, and cover the curriculum skills so thoroughly. The children love the variety of visual, auditory and tactile activities that the programs offer. They also enjoy being able to see their results at the end of each session. These programs are a great value and I recommend them to other teachers."

Rita Petrocco, Resource Teacher, Holy Cross School, (Lighthouse School), Kemptville, Ontario
"Your programs are excellent. I have used them consistently for many years. They keep track of student progress and provide immediate reward and feedback. The programs use a wide variety of multi sensory approaches and are excellent for students with learning difficulties. They provide excellent reinforcement to the skills taught in the classroom."

Janet Norris, EA, Arthur Ford School, (Lighthouse School), London, Ontario
"Your programs are very effective for helping students get a better grasp of their alphabet, phonics, sight words, spelling and vocabulary. All our preschool children enjoy using the programs daily. Our ESL students use the programs to help them with their vocabulary and our primary teachers use them to reinforce their classroom curriculum. These programs have made a real difference for the students."

Rosemary Smith, Grade 3 Teacher, St. Andrew's School, (Lighthouse School), Oakville, Ontario
"The Reading Comprehension programs from Essential Skills allow the children to work independently at their own level and pace. These programs are very much suited to children of all ability levels. They are great for building and reinforcing new vocabulary. They also build self esteem, and academic self confidence, especially in the reluctant readers."

Yolanda Esposito, Vice-Principal, St. Andrew's School, (Lighthouse School), Oakville, Ontario
"We love the programs from Essential Skills. They are very good at addressing our literacy concerns. We use them in the literacy centre, in the computer lab and in our after school intervention program. These programs are absolutely making a difference with our kids. They are a wonderful intervention piece, helping us sustain our role as a lighthouse school."