95 Percent Group Earns Top Honors for Excellence in Education in Technology, Student Engagement and Equity

Lincolnshire, Ill. – February 15, 2024 – 95 Percent Group LLC, the trusted source for comprehensive, proven literacy solutions, today announced it has been honored with three education industry awards from renowned education awards programs, including a Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence: Best of 2023 in the Primary category for its 95 Literacy Intervention System™. Two other awards are the 2023 Excellence in Equity Award from the American Consortium for Equity in Education and a school partner’s recognition as a finalist in the eSchool News K-12 Hero Awards.

“It is exciting to see such a groundswell of recognition for the strengths that set our products and school partners apart in the field,” said Brad Lindaas, CEO, 95 Percent Group. “Our mission every day is to empower educators with the evidence-based literacy tools they need to accelerate reading improvement and unlock literacy for every child. We are honored to be named among the best in education by some of the best in the industry.”

The Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence: Best of 2023

The Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence: Best of 2023 recognized 95 Percent Group in the Primary category for its newest digital solution, 95 Literacy Intervention System™. The Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence: Best of 2023 is a prestigious awards program that honors educational technology from the last 12 months that exceptionally supported teachers and students in 2023.

Based in the science of reading, this new digital platform puts at teachers’ fingertips the tools they need for diagnosing skill gaps, digitally grouping students with similar needs and assigning targeted reading instruction. Integrated with 95 Phonics Core Program™ and 95 Phonics Lesson Library™, the 95 Literacy Intervention System allows teachers to ensure all students receive targeted instruction to graduate from intervention quickly. This newest innovation is part of the One95™ Literacy Ecosystem™, a proven approach for building student literacy skills across all tiers of instruction.

In their appraisal of the 95 Literacy Intervention System, judges for the Awards of Excellence observed, “a must-have component of this product is that the system feeds real-time data up to school and district levels, empowering key decision-makers to make informed curriculum and instructional choices and to propagate best practices.”

American Consortium for Equity in Education 2023 Excellence in Equity Awards

The American Consortium for Equity in Education honored the One95 Literacy Ecosystem, a comprehensive literacy toolkit based in the science of reading and proven to advance reading skills in students from diverse backgrounds, grades and abilities, as the Best Literacy Solution in its 2023 Excellence in Equity Awards. Honoring the industry contributors—companies, products, leaders, nonprofits and more—whose work supports success and equitable achievement for educators and students, the Excellence in Equity Awards were created to acknowledge, spotlight and celebrate high-impact work across K-12 education, as well as expand and enhance the discussion around educational equity.

2023 eSchool News K-12 Hero Awards

Toward the end of 2023, Pennsylvania’s 2022 National Distinguished Principal Robert Palazzo, principal at Panther Valley Elementary School and a 95 Percent Group school partner, was chosen as a finalist in the 2023 eSchool News K-12 Hero Awards. The award honors educators for their exemplary use of innovative edtech to support student learning. 95 Percent Group was proud to nominate Palazzo, who is known for his dedication to meeting the needs of his students and leading transformational literacy change using products from the One95 Literacy Ecosystem.

Since becoming principal in 2017, he has launched significant initiatives, including creative partnerships in the community to raise funds to build a new playground and a school-based therapy program. When it came time to turn his attention to elevating reading scores, Palazzo chose literacy products from the One95 Literacy Ecosystem, which gave his students much-needed instruction in foundational reading skills. The improvements in student reading abilities were immediate and impactful. Not only did reading scores soar, but excitement and confidence were also evident across the school.

As Dr. Jonathan Ross, president of the Pennsylvania Principals Association, noted upon Palazzo’s selection to the National Distinguished Principal program, “Mr. Palazzo stops at nothing to secure needed services for his students. As a result, the teachers, staff and community at large feel a part of something greater than themselves that will undoubtedly shape the lives of a generation of children for the better.”

About 95 Percent Group

95 Percent Group is an education company whose mission is to build on science to empower teachers—supplying the knowledge, resources and support they need—to develop strong readers. Using an approach that is based in structured literacy, the company’s One95™ Literacy Ecosystem™ integrates professional learning and evidence-based literacy products into one cohesive system that supports consistent instructional routines across tiers and is proven and trusted to help students close skill gaps and read fluently. 95 Percent Group is also committed to advancing research, best practices, and thought leadership on the science of reading more broadly. For more information, visit www.95percentgroup.com.

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