By Lindsey Iorg
Students at Orem Junior High School have the opportunity to take the Certiport Internet and Computing Core Certification test, certifying them in basic computer skills and possibly helping them earn high school credit.
The school is the first junior high school in the state of Utah to integrate the IC3 into their curriculum.
'They''ve gotten on board with the whole notion of measuring these skills at a very early age compared to most other schools in Utah and nationwide,' said John Pilmer, spokesman for Certiport.
The test is comprised of three different segments designed for basic computer literacy. The tests focus on computing fundamentals of hardware and software, key applications of word processing and spreadsheet functions, and living online through the Internet, e-mail and societal questions.
Phillip Hanney, a computer technology teacher at Orem Junior High School, said out of the 48 students who took the IC3 test this year, six passed. Of the six, three were seventh-graders.
'Seventh-grade is where you can start to learn this information,' Hanney said. 'I wouldn''t personally expect all seventh-graders to know and pass these tests, but it is a place for them to start learning more about computers and actually use them rather than just playing games.'
While many high schools and universities offer the certification program, Orem Junior High School is one of only 24 junior high schools in the country to teach IC3.
If junior high students receive the IC3 certificate, they may have the opportunity to test out of the high school technological requirement that is mandated across the state. Testing out of the half-credit requirement would vary based on the individual district''s discretion.
'Orem Junior High is starting early and tracking to a graduation requirement that the state now has for computer technology,' Pilmer said.
Regardless of high school credit, Pilmer said he thinks IC3 is an honorable certification that makes a person more valuable to his or her workforce.
'IC3 leads to skills that are applicable almost across the board, regardless of job description,' Pilmer said.
Ronald F. Gonzales, a professor in the School of Technology, said he thinks a standard method of teaching is a smart way of building global computer literacy.
'Standardization is critical,' Gonzales said. 'IC3 standards can get people to speak the same language.'
Certiport, an organization that offers performance-based certification programs worldwide, launched the IC3 test in February 2002. The certification tests were complied after experts from 19 different countries helped define what would be considered computer literacy.
Sunny Shin, a regional sales director for the American Fork-based Certiport, said forming the IC3 test was a long and careful process.
'If you look at the history of IC3, it wasn''t just a test that was created in a month,' Shin said. 'A lot of research and work went into it to make sure it would be what we consider to be a standard of global literacy.'