Polk County High School joined many other schools across North Carolina in the transition from Office 2010 to Office 2013 for Microsoft Office Specialist certification.

Not only did the version of the software change, but the format of the exam changed. The exam changed from several individual problems to one problem with several tasks to be performed. Polk County High School students took both changes in stride.

Students enrolled in the Microsoft Academy for Word and PowerPoint took the certification exams after the Christmas break. All of the students in first period passed both the PowerPoint and the Word certifications.

One student, Taylor Plumley, scored a 957 out of a 1,000 on the very first attempt in PowerPoint. Another student, Lewis Hodges, scored 937 out of a 1,000 in his first attempt in Word. Students in fourth period Word and PowerPoint were also successful, scoring in the 900 range.

Microsoft Office Specialist certification is the leading IT certification in the world with more than one million exams taken every year in over 140 countries, according to Certiport.com. This nationally-recognized certification demonstrates to the employer that you have the knowledge, skills and abilities to productively use Microsoft Office. Hats off to the students who have embraced this certification!

-Submitted by Della Frye