Benchmark Education Company Wins Multiple “Excellence in Equity—Industry Impact” Awards

NEW ROCHELLE, NY, Dec. 18, 2024—Leading educational publisher Benchmark Education Company (BEC) is pleased to announce that it received eight honors—seven awards and one Honorable Mention—in the 2024 Excellence in Equity – Industry Impact Awards, presented by the American Consortium for Equity in Education.

The awards, announced on December 17, went to:

• Benchmark Advance and Benchmark Adelante, for Product of the Year – PreK-12
• Climbing The Ladder of Reading & Writing: Meeting the Needs of ALL Learners, for Book of the Year
• Reycraft Books, for Best Diversity and Inclusion Solution – PreK-12
• Benchmark Hello! for Best Support for Multilingual Learners Solution
• MySELF and Mi BASE for Social-Emotional Learning Solution

Honorable Mention went to Benchmark Phonics, in the category of Best Literacy Solution.

“We’re delighted to receive this recognition,” BEC President Sera Hoffman said. “Since its founding, Benchmark Education has operated out of a deep commitment to inclusion in helping students achieve reading proficiency. It has always been our mission to create products that enable all students to see themselves—their lives and their backgrounds—and that empower them to succeed in school and beyond. These honors from the American Consortium for Equity in Education are both inspiring and a wonderful affirmation of our efforts.”

Benchmark Advance and Benchmark Adelante align with Science of Reading research and provide a cohesive structure for the development of literacy skills and content knowledge, along with equitable materials that reach the needs of each learner and ensure cultural inclusivity. Delivering explicit and systematic phonics instruction developed with Wiley Blevins, Ed.D., these high-quality resources promote biliteracy with parallel programs and tools to support dual language implementation models.

Climbing The Ladder of Reading & Writing: Meeting the Needs of ALL Learners, edited Nancy Young, Ed.D. and Jan Hasbrouck, Ph.D., is a research-driven professional development book that presents proven ways to differentiate literacy instruction effectively. Hailed as “a masterpiece” and built upon Nancy Young’s pioneering and popular infographic, The Ladder of Reading & Writing, it supports and empowers educators, families, and community members as they navigate the complexities of needs-based literacy instruction.

Reycraft Books, BEC’s children’s trade book imprint, partners with award-winning and up-and-coming authors and illustrators, primarily from underrepresented communities, to provide high-quality, authentic, and engaging titles—picture books, transitional chapter books, middle grade books, graphic novels, and more—that build knowledge, perspective, and connection, meeting the diverse needs of children, families, and educators.

Benchmark Hello! is a groundbreaking, comprehensive Newcomer program that combines survival skills, English language development, and social-emotional learning (SEL) to help recent arrivals gain the experience, proficiency, and confidence to propel their language learning.

MySELF and Mi BASE are research-based SEL programs that provide explicit instruction to help educators build positive learning environments and introduce early literacy skills. The programs’ culturally relevant resources encourage reflection and celebrate the diversity of today's classrooms. Their comprehensive, equitable, multimodal materials offer extended opportunities that support all learners and strengthen communities.

Benchmark Phonics offers explicit, systematic, multimodal Tier 1 and Tier 2 phonics instruction designed by early literacy expert Wiley Blevins, Ed.D. It is based on the latest Science of Reading research and the 7 Foundations of Strong Phonics Instruction, with a structured literacy approach that emphasizes the application of learning to reading and writing—where the learning sticks—and unit topics designed for building vocabulary and content knowledge.

The Excellence in Equity Awards program, now in its third year, recognizes the companies, nonprofits, leaders, and educators whose work contributes to the critical goal of ensuring access and equity for every learner.

“Congratulations to all the deserving winners of the Industry Impact Awards, and a heartfelt thank you for the work you do to support educators and students,” Maia Appleby, Communications and Editorial Director for the American Consortium for Equity in Education, said. “It’s a joy to announce these winners, highlight their meaningful contributions to education, and it will be just as exciting to see what they do next.”

ABOUT BENCHMARK EDUCATION COMPANY

Benchmark Education Company (BEC) is a leading publisher of core, supplemental, and intervention literacy and language resources in English and Spanish, with valid and reliable digital assessments that inform instruction. BEC is also a provider of exceptional professional development to educators.

BEC is recognized as a responsive publisher that offers equally rigorous and engaging digital, print, and hybrid learning materials grounded in the Science of Reading research. BEC monitors research outcomes carefully to create effective foundational resources that include strong decoding materials with systematic and explicit instruction and high-quality resources focused on language development and comprehension. BEC’s content-rich and authentic texts offer instruction in close reading and analysis, multiple perspectives, and authentic literature while building world knowledge and reflecting the individuality of every student in each diverse classroom.

Family owned and operated for more than 25 years, BEC is committed to partnering with educators to provide the best for all students through resources of exceptional quality, worldclass professional learning, and effective and dedicated customer support.