For immediate release
Oct. 5, 2017
NC Students, Teachers Earn 300,000-Plus Microsoft
Certifications
North
Carolina students and teachers have earned more than 300,000 professional
certifications through the state’s Microsoft Imagine Academy, launched seven
years ago as the Microsoft IT Academy. State education leaders today joined teachers,
students, legislators and others in celebrating this milestone at the State
Board of Education meeting in Raleigh.
Nine of
thirty-six North Carolina high school students who earned top honors in the 2016
and 2017 NC Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) competition also were recognized.
The
Microsoft Imagine Academy offers digital access to instructional curriculum and
certifications that enable students to learn productivity applications such as
Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Access, as well as the fundamental skills
necessary in the studies of computer science and information technology infrastructure.
North Carolina’s statewide Microsoft IT Academy was the first the nation and remainl one of the largest in the world. The Department of Public
Instruction created the framework for the academy and provided the funding for
the implementation so that all public high schools in the state could have
access to the content. The first programs were available to select schools
in the fall of 2010 as a pilot program.
DPI’s
involvement has also ensured that the curriculum materials and supporting
resources are aligned with the credential standards, appropriate for high
school students, and engaging instructional activities.
Because
the academy includes computer-based instruction in addition to traditional
instruction, students can take advantage of a variety of options to complete
the programs at their own pace, both in the classroom and at home. Students
have the opportunity to earn various Microsoft certifications by completing the Microsoft Imagine
Academy coursework and passing the aligned certification exams. Faculty and
staff have access to professional development learning plans and also have the
opportunity to earn industry credentials through the program.
“The state of North
Carolina has demonstrated, once again, their unrivaled leadership in delivering
real world career and technical education options for their students,” said
Aaron Osmond, vice president of the global Certiport offering for Pearson VUE,
a certification exam provider. “Microsoft certification is more than a piece of
paper – it gives students tangible proof they have real-world Microsoft skills
that employers are seeking.”
In
addition to celebrating the 300,000-certification milestone, 36 North Carolina
high school students were recognized for placing as the top three finishers in
six different categories of the 2017 NC Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)
competition.
Three North
Carolina students from Green Hope High School in Wake County were recognized at
the Certiport 2017 Microsoft Office Specialist U.S. National Championship held
in Orlando, Fla., this past June. Dheya
Madhani placed first in Microsoft PowerPoint 2016, Forrest Liu placed first in
Microsoft Word 2013 and Ryan Catalfu placed third in Microsoft Excel 2016.
Dheya and Forrest went on to compete at the worldwide championships in Anaheim,
Calif., later in the summer and placed in their respective divisions as follows:
Dheya Madhani placed second in Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 and Forrest Liu placed
fourth in Microsoft Word 2013. In
addition, Ryan Catalfu was recognized as the first-ever student ambassador for the
Certiport worldwide competition.
These 36
high school students earned top honors in the statewide 2017 NC MOS
competition:
North Carolina students have an impressive
track record in these competitions over the past few years with 16 students placing among the winners in the national competition with several placing in the
top 10 and one finishing in first place worldwide.
North Carolina first piloted the Microsoft IT
Academy in high schools in 29 counties during the fall semester of 2010-11.
Students and teachers earned 8,227 certifications in the first year. Since then, the number of
certifications has increased every year and is on track to do the same this year.
The Career and Technical Education courses in
which students may obtain certifications include:
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