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 United States and is still 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 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:
| FALL QUALIFIER | ||
|---|---|---|
| MICROSOFT WORD 2013 | ||
| Troy Won | Green Hope HS | 1 |
| Tyson King | Fuquay-Varina HS | 2 |
| Kamellia Karimpour | William G Enloe HS | 3 |
| MICROSOFT EXCEL 2013 | ||
| Arja Kaushal | Green Hope HS | 1 |
| Venkata Achanta | Green Hope HS | 2 |
| Stephanie Wiener | William G Enloe HS | 3 |
| MICROSOFT POWERPOINT 2013 | ||
| Kyle Firman | Green Hope HS | 1 |
| Sophie Golder | Fuquay-Varina HS | 2 |
| Ryan Catalfu | Green Hope HS | 3 |
| MICROSOFT WORD 2016 | ||
| Maya Jeter | Green Hope HS | 1 |
| Nadia Cuervo | West Carteret HS | 2 |
| Garrett Jacobs | West Carteret HS | 3 |
| MICROSOFT EXCEL 2016 | ||
| Ryan Catalfu | Green Hope HS | 1 |
| John Mergenthal | Jay Robinson HS | 2 |
| Tristan Alvarado | East Carteret HS | 3 |
| MICROSOFT POWERPOINT 2016 | ||
| Skyler Won | Green Hope HS | 1 |
| Lane Nickson | Croatan HS | 2 |
| Samara Rahman | Croatan HS | 3 |
| SPRING QUALIFIER | ||
|---|---|---|
| MICROSOFT WORD 2013 | ||
| Forrest Liu | Green Hope HS | 1 |
| Kamellia Karimpour | William G Enloe HS | 2 |
| Benjamin Taylor | Green Hope HS | 3 |
| MICROSOFT EXCEL 2013 | ||
| Venkata Achanta | Green Hope HS | 1 |
| Arja Kaushal | Green Hope HS | 2 |
| Avi Choksi | Hickory Ridge HS | 3 |
| MICROSOFT POWERPOINT 2013 | ||
| Noelle Ruehle | Green Hope HS | 1 |
| Sophie Golder | Fuquay-Varina HS | 2 |
| Kamellia Karimpour | William G Enloe HS | 3 |
| MICROSOFT WORD 2016 | ||
| Anthony Reis | Green Hope HS | 1 |
| Dheya Madhani | Green Hope HS | 2 |
| Colton Briand | West Wilkes HS | 3 |
| MICROSOFT EXCEL 2016 | ||
| Ryan Catalfu | Green Hope HS | 1 |
| Mason Rowland | Green Hope HS | 2 |
| Harley Kugler | West Carteret HS | 3 |
| MICROSOFT POWERPOINT 2016 | ||
| Skyler Won | Green Hope HS | 1 |
| Dheya Madhani | Green Hope HS | 2 |
| Ethan Stanley | Harnett Central HS | 3 |
North Carolina students have an impressive track record in these competitions over the past few years as 16 students have been 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 201011. Students and teachers earned 8,227 certifications in the first year. In the fall of 2011, the state made history when it became the first in the country to offer the Microsoft IT Academy in all high schools. Since then, the number of certifications has increased every year and is on track to do the same this year.
| NC MICROSOFT IMAGINE ACADEMY CERTIFICATIONS | |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 8,227 |
| 2012 | 40,508 |
| 2013 | 49,863 |
| 2014 | 50,500 |
| 2015 | 55,479 |
| 2016 | 51,405 |
| 2017 | 56,566 |
| Total | 312,548 |
The Career and Technical Education courses in which students may obtain certifications include:
- Computer Engineering Technology I
- e-Commerce I
- Microsoft Excel and Access
- Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
- Network Administration I
- Network Administration II
- Network Administration III
- Oracle Database Programming I
About the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction:
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction provides leadership to 115 local public school districts and 160 charter schools serving over 1.5 million students in kindergarten through high school graduation. The agency is responsible for all aspects of the state's public school system and works under the direction of the North Carolina State Board of Education.