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For Immediate Release
FUTURE BUSINESS LEADERS OF AMERICA PARTNERS WITH CERTIPORT TO PUSH FOR COMPUTER LITERACY CERTIFICATION STANDARDS IN THE NATION'S SCHOOLS
RESTON, VIRGINIA (Jan. 9, 2002) - The Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL) today announced it has partnered with Certiport, Inc.™, the leading provider of global, performance-based certification programs and services, to create a national initiative to certify more than 13,000 administrators and teachers in computing and Internet literacy and software proficiency.
This joint initiative will promote FBLA administrator and teacher testing for Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC3) and Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS), industry leading computer certifications for literacy and proficiency, respectively. Testing may occur at any high school that has qualified as a Certiport iQcenter. Over 700 U.S. high schools have already achieved iQcenter status.
"In today's business world, proficiency in computer skills is as critical as reading, writing and arithmetic," said Jean M. Buckley, president and CEO of FBLA. "This partnership will allow our administrators and teachers to become trained and certified with a core knowledge of computing skills, which will be a catalyst for better preparing students for advancement opportunities in the business world."
Both FBLA-PBL and Certiport believe this initiative will demonstrate the value of certification to students with increased classroom productivity and better job prospects as they prepare for their next step past high school.
"We are pleased to join with Future Business Leaders of America to give students and educators portable proof of their core computer skills," said Bill Wall, vice president of worldwide sales, marketing and services for Certiport. "Educators throughout the world can now set a standard for training and advancement, and have an accepted benchmarking tool to support that standard. Most importantly they will have the confidence to teach effectively. Students, in turn, will know the bar for which they must reach."
Educators Need Standards
In both academia and the workplace, basic skills in computing and Internet use are considered prerequisites to acceptance and employment. However, a large computing skills gap still remains among educators in the U.S. In a recent study by the U.S. Department of Education, 27 percent of public school teachers felt "not at all" prepared to make word processing and spreadsheet assignments to students*. Without a standard to measure basic computer literacy and proficiency, no one can fully validate their knowledge without sitting down at a computer.
Literacy and Proficiency
Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC3) is designed to establish computer and Internet literacy standards for students, educators and employees. IC3 provides students and job seekers with the educational/training foundation and credentials needed to succeed in any field or job position requiring the use of computers. It builds a logical pathway on which students can then advance to other certifications like MOUS.
Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) is a globally recognized certification program for testing proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite of business productivity applications, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, and Project.
Importance of Standards Recognized
The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) for the state of Washington recognizes the value of computer proficiency standards and has adopted MOUS certification as the recommended standard for students and teachers seeking to demonstrate software proficiency. "MOUS certification demonstrates the basic computer skills necessary to compete in the global workplace after high school graduation," stated Cindy Agnew, OSPI, Washington state. "Today's business world is looking for skilled workers who want to continue to learn and meet goals."
About FBLA-PBL
Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL) is a nonprofit educational association of students preparing for careers in business and business-related fields. The mission of the FBLA-PBL is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs. For more information about FBLA, visit http://www.fbla-pbl.org.
About Certiport
Certiport, Inc. is the leading provider of global, performance-based certification programs and services designed to enable individual success and lifetime advancement through certification. As the exclusive worldwide provider of the Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) program, Certiport is responsible for the development, marketing and administration of certification programs for the Microsoft Office suite of products. In addition to MOUS, Certiport currently offers the Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC3) program for computer literacy. For more information about Certiport offerings, visit http://www.certiport.com.
*SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, NCES, Fast Response Survey System, "Public School Teachers' Use of Computers and the Internet," FRSS 70, 1999.
Press Contacts
Betty Penzner
FBLA-PBL
703-860-3334 ext. 121
bpenzner@fbla.org
John Pilmer
Certiport
801-847-3128
jpilmer@certiport.com
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