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...
This section presents some of the research and program evaluations that have been completed with respect to Essential Skills software.
The accompanying graph demonstrates an average of 55% improvement in spelling test scores over a 30 to 60 day period utilizing the Essential Skills spelling programs.
These results were gathered by means of a pre-test and post test whereby students were tested prior to their use of Essential Skills software, and then retested 30 to 60 days following their use of the programs.
The following graph represents fifteen second grade students who used Essential Skills from September though June. These students were among the lowest second grade reading students in the school. They received reading instruction in their classrooms daily, as well as four 45 minute blocks each week in the resource room. Two of these blocks each week were spent using Essential Skills.
These students were tested five times during the September to June time-frame using the University of Oregon Oral Reading Fluency Test. Many of the students doubled their reading rate in just five months.
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