Patty Eckelman Business Education Instructor Certifications Offered Microsoft Office Specialist Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook   Employer Auburn Riverside High School Location Auburn, Washington

In her own words: "The students who have earned Office Specialist Master certification help the others. They become facilitators to help their fellow classmates understand concepts and address technical problems."

Washington High School Stands out with nearly 400 Students Earning Microsoft Office Specialist Certifications
In both quantity and quality, Auburn Riverside High School delivers well-trained, certified Microsoft Office Specialists

Microsoft® has issued nearly 400 certifications to Auburn Riverside High School students in the four years the program has been available at the Auburn, Washington, high school. The results of the school’s investment in the training and certification of its students and teachers are remarkable. Current students are experiencing both academic and job success; graduates are winning scholarships and earning internships and employment because of their worldwide, industry credentials.

BACKGROUND
When Auburn Riverside High School Business Education Instructor Patty Eckelman was introduced to the Microsoft Office Specialist program four years ago, she and a co-worker each took and passed two Office Specialist exams in an effort to acquaint themselves with the program. “We liked it. We soon started evaluating the program for our high school students and for other teachers in the district,” Eckelman said. She put together two training workshops for teachers in the Auburn School District that resulted in almost every participant earning Office Specialist certifications. Next they integrated certification into their Career and Technical Education courses at Auburn Riverside High School.

PROCESS
Office Specialist certification is part of two elective courses in the Auburn Riverside High School Career and Technical Education department—Advanced Computer Applications and Microsoft Office Specialist Certification.

• Students in Advanced Computer Applications are required to earn either Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel Specialist certification.

• Students in the four-semester Microsoft Office Specialist Certification course are required to earn one certification each semester, resulting in the Microsoft Office Specialist Master credential.

Eckelman leads class discussions and instruction in the Advanced Computer Applications and Microsoft Office Specialist Certification courses using Skill Assessment Manager (SAM) for Microsoft Office by Course Technology, a Microsoft Office Specialist Vendor of Approved Courseware. In the Microsoft Office Specialist Certification course, students pick one program from the Microsoft Office system on which they will focus for the semester. “I facilitate independent learning in this class,” Eckelman said. “At this point, students have learned how to work. They pick up where they left off in the advanced course and continue working to build their skills.”

Microsoft Office Specialist Certification students are organized in groups based on the program they are studying, and they help each other learn. “It’s a great, fun class environment,” Eckelman said. “The students who have earned Office Specialist Master certification help the others. They become facilitators to help their fellow classmates understand concepts and address technical problems.” In addition to using practice tests, Eckelman tracks student progress by requiring each student to keep a portfolio, which includes weekly project scores, lab assignments, and practice test results. She also uses the Certiport CertPrep for Microsoft Office Specialist CDs and quizzes students using published exam objectives to ensure they are ready to take certification exams.

Annie Leung, a junior at Auburn Riverside High School, has earned certifications in Microsoft Word Expert, Excel Expert, Access, and PowerPoint® while taking the Microsoft Office Specialist Certification course. “I think it’s a great class,” she said. “If I need help, my classmates are right there to help me.” Leung completed her class projects both at school and at home and passed all of the exams by the beginning of her second semester in the course. “When I took my first exam I was nervous,” she said. “But after I passed that one, my scores on the other exams were easily in the 900s (out of a possible score of 1,000).”

Auburn Riverside High School is one of two Certiport Centers in the Auburn School District. Students may take Office Specialist exams during class time or after school. “The exams challenge the students,” Eckelman said. “But one student earned 100 percent on the PowerPoint exam and another earned 100 percent on the Access exam.” If a student chooses not to take a certification exam or fails to pass, his or her grade is slightly impacted. Fortunately, s tudents have the option to retake failed exams. Eckelman said many of her students are excited to be eligible for the Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office presented by Certiport, an annual global competition that tests student skills on Microsoft Word and Excel . The top two students from the United States are invited to Orlando, Florida, to compete in the World Championships.

The school district pays for each student to take one Office Specialist certification exam per semester. “The district offers great support of the program,” Eckelman said. Students who wish to take additional exams may do so at their own expense. “They often do because they can see certification has so many benefits, such as college credit and recognition by potential employers. And they know they are prepared to take and pass the exams.”

Annie Leung	Keith Richards	Patricia Lee

CERTIFICATION
In the four years Office Specialist certification has been available at Auburn Riverside High School, Microsoft has issued 389 certifications to Auburn Riverside students. Twenty-nine students have earned the Office Specialist Master credential, which certifies they have successfully completed three required exams (Microsoft Word Expert, Excel Expert, and PowerPoint) and one elective exam (Microsoft Access or Outlook®). “ Each year we increase our exam inventory,” Eckelman said.

Eckelman said the return on the school’s investment in Office Specialist certification is both motivating and exciting. “The Career and Technical Education Director, students, and parents are extremely excited about the industry certifications we offer,” Eckelman said. “The d istrict understands the value of certification and has invested time and money in maintaining the computer labs and providing the certification training and exams.”

On an individual level, Eckelman said she is pleased to see students doing so well. “One student took both my Keyboarding and Advanced Computer Applications courses before taking Microsoft Office Specialist Certification,” she explained. “He didn’t know anything about typing or computing before taking these classes and going through the Office Specialist exam experience. Now he has skills and the Microsoft Word Specialist certification to prove it.”

RESULT
“The first year we offered Office Specialist certification, we posted a class photograph of 16 certified students in the hallway to recognize their achievements,” Eckelman said. “Now approximately 130 students certify each year !” Certified students are recognized when their names are read over the school’s public address system, on permanent wall plaques posted in the classroom, and in a monthly parent newsletter. “Certification really boosts a student’s confidence. They get a nice certificate mailed to their home. It’s a positive experience, and they are learning how to reach their goals.”

The school’s Career Center has added space for certifications on the scholarship applications it provides students. Certified students are encouraged to include their credentials on college entrance and job applications. “I’ve seen students get jobs because of their certifications,” Eckelman said. “Just recently two students earned entry-level data entry work. One student showed her potential employer her test scores and the Office Specialist exam objectives to prove what she knows. She got the job!”

Leung has had great success integrating her Office Specialist expertise with her other high school classes. For example, she applied her Microsoft Excel skills to a Business and Personal Finance class she took last year. “I created a spreadsheet to track where my money goes,” she said. “I log what I earn and spend and sort my spending in categories like eating out, gifts, and entertainment. At the end of the month I make graphs of what I have spent, and I can see where I need to limit myself.”

As she’s found other creative ways to relate her Office Specialist proficiency to her courses, Leung has developed an even stronger appreciation for Microsoft Office. “I never knew the Microsoft programs had that much to them! You can do so much—more than just typing and printing a paper. For example, I recently made fliers for my Interior Design class. I was able to edit the pictures on the fliers using Word. Knowing skills like that has helped me a lot.”

Leung knows her certifications will support her plans for college and employment. “Although many people claim to know Microsoft Office and place it on their resumés, only a small percentage of those individuals truly know the programs and their many functions,” she said. “I know the programs in depth and my certifications prove it. They will help me in college, employment, and life in general, just like they help me on my essays and presentations now. Whether you’re 13, 14, or 56, earning these certifications will keep you up with technology, and that’s a fact.”

Keith Richards, a junior at the school, has earned his Office Specialist Master and Certiport Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC 3®) credentials . He took the classes and earned the certifications primarily to earn college credit. Administrators at Auburn Riverside High School and at three local community colleges meet annually to align the high school’s courses with college credit equivalents. Each year approximately 50 Auburn Riverside students earn college credit after completing relevant classes and earning Office Specialist certifications.

Richards also took the classes to understand the functions of the programs better. He said his knowledge of the programs has helped him with his assignments in high school, and he anticipates he will use his skills as he pursues a degree in Animation Art and Design at The Art Institute of Seattle after high school graduation. “I can get a better job done in the same amount of time because I know the programs so well,” he said.

Richards has experienced the benefits of certification outside of school, as well. “I went to a Rotary Club meeting in Auburn to give a presentation about the Office Specialist program,” he said. “Afterward, one of the leaders of the club approached me with a job offer because she knew this certification is a clear indicator of my expertise.” But this offer wasn’t the first Richards had received because of his certifications: he was recently hired as a District IT Intern. “I used my skills with Microsoft Word to make my own resumé,” he said. “I was very comfortable with the program and made the resumé look nice. I included my certifications on it. The district was very impressed by the fact that I am a high school student who already has two worldwide certifications.”

Patricia Lee is currently a junior at the University of Washington, where she is studying computer engineering. Before graduating from Auburn Riverside High School two years ago, she took the Microsoft Office Specialist Certification course and earned Office Specialist certifications in Microsoft Word Expert, Excel Expert, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook. With these credentials, she earned the Office Specialist Master certification.

“I wasn’t sure what major I would have in college, but I knew Office Specialist certifications would be useful because we use more and more technology every day,” she said. “I could see certification would make me a better candidate to apply to any job. It assures employers I know the programs.” With her certifications, Lee not only gained entrance to the University of Washington, but was also awarded the Gates Millennium Scholarship. “I wrote about my certifications in the scholarship essays,” she said. “I know they made me a better candidate.”

Lee also credits her certifications to earning an internship at Microsoft Corporation. “I know the certifications helped me get my job,” she said. “A lot of people noticed my certifications on my resumé and were interested in them. In the interview for the internship, they thought the certifications were cool. Then, when I first started, they said we were required to use Outlook. As they explained the program basics to the interns, I thought, ‘I know this stuff!’ It was all just a review for me.”

Lee was offered a position at the University of Washington’s Business School Technology Center, as well, because of her certification. “In the interview, I was asked about my Office Specialist certifications,” Lee explained. “They were looking for someone who knows how to use Microsoft programs. Because I have Office Specialist Master certification, I was a great candidate. As I explained my certifications to the interviewer, she was smiling and nodding like she’d found the person that she was looking for.”

Lee’s knowledge and certifications have also impacted her ability to work productively at school. “We do a lot of projects, reports, and computer work,” she said. “I am able to easily use the advanced features of Microsoft Word, to perform tasks like creating a folded booklet, indexing a report, and adding page numbers. I was the only one in my group who knew how to accomplish these advanced tasks and it helped me perform them quickly.”

“Certification has helped me in school and at my job,” Lee concluded. “It makes life easier. I can do a job in a shorter amount of time. I recommend it because it will help you in your life. Being a certified user made me feel stronger and more confident. If you get this certification, you will use it in life. You will need the skills no matter what your job is.”