Ariana Ortigas Markham College Student Certification Earned Microsoft Office Specialist Word and PowerPoint®   Employer Markham College Student Location Lima, Peru

In her own words: "Now I am able to complete my assignments better, and I help my peers whenever they need me."

Young Students Show Age No Obstacle in Achieving Perfect Results on Microsoft Office Specialist Exams
Eleven-year-old Peruvian students make an early start on pathway to success by getting perfect scores on certification exams

April 2008
Eleven-year-old Ariana Ortigas (right) was both surprised and excited by her perfect scores on the Microsoft® Office Specialist Word and PowerPoint® exams. Classmate Claudia Cobo (lower right), also 11, felt especially good about her outstanding results on the Office Specialist Word exam. Because of their participation in Markham College's unique Office Specialist certification program, these fifth-grade students from Lima, Peru, now plan to continue their studies of the Microsoft Office system of business productivity applications.

BACKGROUND
Markham College was founded by British expatriates in 1946. Since its establishment, the school has earned a reputation as one of Peru’s best educational institutions, fulfilling national elementary and high school curriculum requirements, as well as the requirements of the International General Certificate of Secondary Education from the University of Cambridge. In their final two years of high school, many Markham College students excel in the rigorous International Baccalaureate diploma program.

With a total enrollment of approximately 1,900 students, Markham College boasts exceptional facilities and programs for its students, who begin school at age 4 and progress to the Upper School at age 11. Markham school buildings are purpose-built, surrounded by playing fields and attractive gardens and equipped with state-of-the-art general-purpose classrooms, specialized teaching rooms and laboratories.

In 2001, Markham College introduced laptop computers as an educational tool for students in the eighth grade and higher. Although controversial at its inception, the laptop program grew, resulting in higher student test scores on international examinations. Now, computers and the Internet have been extended to the elementary school curriculum with great success and demand among students of all ages.

PROCESS
Office Specialist certification, the official worldwide certification for Microsoft Office applications, is part of Markham College's activity program. Students who participate attend classes for one hour each week for 17 weeks. The course's curriculum is based on Office Specialist exam objectives and is delivered in one of the school's computer labs by Omar Olivos, head of information technology.

Olivos uses an interactive whiteboard extensively as part of the training program and provides students access to exercises and video demonstrations in a virtual learning environment as they prepare for Office Specialist exams.

Approximately 50 other primary students have earned Office Specialist certification in Microsoft Word and/or PowerPoint. Training is provided to students at no extra cost, although their parents pay for the cost of the certification exams.

Ortigas first heard about Office Specialist certification when her older brother joined the Office Specialist activity. Later, when she entered fifth grade, Ortigas was invited to join the program. “My brother used to talk a lot about this course, making me interested in taking it, too," Ortigas said. "I also really like computer programs and, for me, learning about a new program is just like learning a new language: You never know them all.”

After a friend who was in the activity told her about it, Cobo decided to participate. "I wanted to know more about Microsoft Office," she said.

Both students have earned Office Specialist certification in Microsoft Word; Ortigas has also earned PowerPoint certification. Their preparation included Certiport® self-assessments, practice tests and videos. "If it wasn’t for the practice tests, I wouldn’t have felt confident enough to take the final exam," Ortigas said. "I had to work really hard to remember how to do each task. I took a lot of notes to improve my memory and worked through Mr. Olivos' exercises to prepare."

The preparation paid off. When Ortigas and Cobo received their Microsoft Word exam marks, they were delighted to learn they had received perfect scores. “Before I started the exam, I felt quite nervous, although I was confident I had studied hard," Ortigas said. "During the exam I was very tense and worried about making a mistake. I took my time to read and execute each question carefully. When I finally finished, I looked at my score. I had received the maximum you can get. I was so excited I couldn’t keep still! This exam was worth taking, and it was absolutely wonderful!”

Cobo knows she now has a certificate that proves her expert knowledge of Microsoft Word. "To answer all the questions, it is necessary to know Microsoft Word very well," she said.

RESULT
Throughout the years Office Specialist has been available, Olivos has seen both students and Markham College benefit from the certification. “Students not only get more competent in their use of Microsoft Office programs, but also they end up more confident and become IT helpers in their classes," he said. "As a result, everybody at the school benefits. Students share their knowledge with their peers and their teachers, too.”

Because of this great success, Olivos said Markham College plans to extend Office Specialist certification to more students. In addition, many teachers and administrative staff have shown interest in the training and are working toward certification.

Cobo is now using her Microsoft Word skills in other courses and activities. "I use Microsoft Word to do homework with tables, bullets, hyperlinks and comments," she said. "My certification has increased my confidence and has improved my academic performance. I hope to earn other certifications now. I know PowerPoint will help me make better presentations."

For Ortigas, Office Specialist certification positively impacts both her schoolwork and her future plans. "Now I am able to complete my assignments better, and I help my peers whenever they need me," she said. "Apart from my self-confidence increasing, I have been given recognition by my teachers and peers.” During a school assembly, Markham College awarded Ortigas an MP3 player for her accomplishments.

Without hesitation, Ortigas recommends training and certification to others. “I really think the money, the time—and especially the efforts invested—were all worth it," she said.

Olivos agreed. "At Markham, we are very proud of our students’ achievements in information technology," he said. "Through Microsoft Office Specialist, students become proficient users of many programs. We believe it has been a great experience for our students. They have shown maturity during the exam itself and have demonstrated an advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office."

Indeed, Ortigas and Cobo have proven to be exceptional, even at their very young age. With vision, dedication, responsibility and maturity, they have learned to cope well in stressful situations, manage emotions and nerves superbly and achieve well-deserved, remarkable results. These young Latin American girls truly represent the leaders of tomorrow and the hope of future generations.

ABOUT CERTIPORT
Certiport prepares individuals with current and relevant digital skills and credentials for the competitive global workforce. These solutions are delivered by more than 12,000 Certiport Centers worldwide and include Certiport Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC��), the official Microsoft� Office certification programs and the Adobe� Certified Associate certification program. For more information, visit www.certiport.com.