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OSPI MOUS ABOUT OSPI Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) Register for OSPI MOUS Certification classes here! Microsoft Office User Specialist Certification Program IT Skills Certification for Professional Educators Background. Washington remains one of the most competitive states for knowledgeable skilled workers who are current and relevant in integrated business-IT skills. The necessity of keeping business - IT educators' knowledge base in line with current industry standards and practices is an ongoing challenge for education. The Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification Project will be a national demonstration project in the State of Washington. MOUS certification has set the first global standard for desktop productivity. This performance-based certification examination can validate productivity for corporations, academic institutions, staffing agencies, training organizations and individuals alike. Participation in the MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification Project allows educational institutions to offer marketable credentials to students who are entering the workforce. The program also offers a standardized curriculum for teaching computer applications, premised on the development of skills valued in both education and industry. The Washington State MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification Project forms a partnership between public schools and the private sector that strengthens the curriculum, enhances faculty, better prepares our students and thereby ensures a talented workforce to enrich Washington State's future. Project Description: The Washington State MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification Project will provide Washington secondary business-IT educators with a uniform skill set for curriculum and instruction based upon current industry standards. The MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification Project will impact up to 1400 educators and potentially 35,000 students. Goal A: The MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification Project will offer skill acquisition and test preparation training for the MOUS skill certification tests in MS Word 2000 Core, MS Word 2000 Expert, and MS Excel 2000 Core to the 1400 Business-IT Pathways educators in Washington State. Goal B: The MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification Project by providing all the necessary resources and setting a conducive environment aims to have 80% of the Washington State's Secondary Business-IT pathways instructors certified in MS Word 2000 Core, MS Word 2000 Expert, and MS Excel Core skill levels by March 1, 2001. Goal C: The MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification Project will raise the awareness of all secondary educators in Washington State to impact of MOUS skill standards in student development in non-IT curriculum. Project Structure: The MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification Project will offer two different MOUS skills acquisition and test preparation classes in up to 10 educational geographically dispersed host sites throughout Washington State. The first class will be a one-day MOUS Test Preparation course for educators with extensive office technology skills. The second class will be a two-day class that will include MOUS skill assessment, MOUS skills acquisition, and MOUS test preparation for educators requiring a more comprehensive preparation process. Twenty-five to fifty classes will be offered from March 2001 through December 2001 impacting up 1,000 Business-IT Pathways teachers. The MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification Project will feature an industry sponsored traveling in-service to all 290 districts in Washington State for all educators entitled "To MOUS or Not to MOUS - The Value of MOUS Certification for Secondary Educators and Students" (working title). The in-service will provide an unbiased view of the role MOUS skills certification may play in preparing educators and students for future industry and educational endeavors. The in-service will be delivered by a traveling presenter and twice on the Washington State K-12 video network. The outreach goal of the in-service is to reach 90% of the secondary schools in Washington State. Project Participants. The MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification Project is an initiative of the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction's (OSPI) Business-IT Pathways program in cooperation with the NorthWest Center for Emerging Technology' (NWCET) Educator-to-Educator IT Institute (E2E) professional development program. Course Technology and Prosoft.com are industry partners committed to development of uniform office technology standards for Washington's secondary educators and students. (See Corporate Support section below) Corporate Support and Participation. The MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification Project is receiving generous sponsorships from Course Technology and Prosoft.com. Course Technology will provide two SAM licensees (one SAM software and one SAM Internet License), a Skill Measure CD Office 2000 CD for each participant, and underwrite one half the of in-service MOUS in-service outreach program. Prosoft.com will provide a set of seven textbooks/courseware for each participant and underwrite one half of the in-service MOUS outreach program. Course Technology and Prosoft.com will each be allowed one table in each class to place preview materials of their choice for participating educators. At the completion of training at each host site, preview materials will given to the Business-IT program at the host school. Course Technology and Prosoft.com will each have one representative on the MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification curriculum and project management team. Course Technology and Prosoft.com will participate in the design and implementation of the MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification trainer-the-trainer sessions(s). Project Management. E2E IT institute will serve as project manager and training agency for the MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification Project. E2E will plan, coordinate, and act as a focal point for the participation of all stakeholders in the MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification Project. E2E will organize a project management team with representatives of the four participating organizations. Under the direction of E2E, the project management team will guide development of curriculum, selection and training of trainers, design of MOUS outreach presentation, and evaluation of the project. Evaluation and Assessment. The project management team will conduct post training evaluation at three and six month intervals. Evaluations will determine effectiveness of training, number of educators impacted, and number of educators completing MOUS certification and make recommendations for future projects. Visibility. The OSPI, E2E, Course Technology and Prosoft.com will make every effort to raise awareness of the MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification Project in Washington State and throughout the nation. Coordinated joint press releases will be released at the announcement of the project and upon completion of the project. top |