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Success Stories

Kim Brown, Director of Learning, Oshkosh Area School District

“I appreciate the amount of computer science content available that has a scope and sequence. It is hard to find content for 8th grade beginning CS courses, much less content that leads to certification.”

Lisa Perry, High School Teacher, Blair-Taylor School District

“I was excited to see that ISTE now aligns to many MSIA courses. Wisconsin based their state standards on ISTE standards.

Steve Wills, High School Teacher, School Random Lake School District

“The MOS Certification Program has reinvigorated the Software Applications classes at Random Lake High School. Since the program was introduced, several students have started their journey to learn the benefits of using Microsoft Software and earning their certifications. Class sizes in the certification classes has doubled. The students in the classes are focused more than ever to learn the programs and earn their certifications! As the program continues to grow we hope to have students earn their Master Certification and continue to include their MOS certifications on their resumes.”

Shari L. Gunderson, High School Teacher, Cadott School District

High School is a small school located in a rural area of West Central Wisconsin. With the help of the Microsoft Imagine Academy, numerous students have gained Microsoft Office Specialist certification, with many earning certification in more than one platform. During the spring of 2017, one of our students became the first to certify in seven specialty areas: Word, Word Expert I, Word Expert II, Excel, Excel Expert I, Access, and Powerpoint. He took first place in Wisconsin for both Microsoft Excel 2013 and Microsoft Powerpoint 2013 (where he earned a perfect test score). That summer he was invited to attend the national MOS Championships in Orlando, FL. He returned to Cadott with a $1,500 scholarship after taking second place in Excel.

These specialist certifications gave him excellent background to pursue a career in information technology. This is a great testimonial for showing others that Microsoft Certification is about more than passing a test . . . it's about being ready to take advantage of future opportunities.

Mary Byrns, High School Teacher, Black River Falls School District

Black River Falls High School is in their third year of working with the Microsoft Office Image Academy and Certiport program to offer our high school students an opportunity to achieve the Microsoft Office Specialist Certifications. Students have earned 138 certifications in that time; many students have earned two or more certifications. Adding the certification expectation to our courses has increased the rigor of our curriculum and teaches our students perseverance in achieving industry-recognized certification. When students submit their tests, it is such a great experience to see their reactions when they get their passing results. It is truly a celebration of their hard work.


Update (6/20/2018)

Madison-Area High School Grad Named Best in U.S. at Microsoft Excel

A Sun Prairie, Wisconsin student was just named Best in the United States at Microsoft Excel! Jason Benda, an 18-year-old student who just graduated from Sun Prairie High School in Wisconsin, came in first place for Microsoft Excel at the 2018 Certiport Microsoft Office Specialist U.S. National Championship. He won a $3,000 prize and an expense-paid trip to Orlando, Florida along with a chaperone for the Certiport Microsoft Office Specialist World Championships next month where students from 50 countries are expected to compete.

Jason bested 350,000 competitors in the U.S. and 147 finalists who came to Atlanta, Georgia for the final round of competition. We hope you will give him some well-deserved recognition!
Jason holding the excel championship trophu
Madison, Wisconsin High School Grad Named
Best in the U.S. at Microsoft Excel