Microsoft Office Specialist Certification (Associate Level) | Online Independent Study
Career Field/Area: Technology
Adult Career Pathway: Executive Administrative Assistant
NRS Levels Addressed:
- Low Intermediate Basic Education
Part of an approved IET program? IET: yes
Year IET Approved (if applicable): FY25
Credentials the Course Prepares Students for:
- Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Certification: Word or Excel or PP 2019 or 365
Also Prepares Students for: This course serves as a very useful foundation for students pursuing an IT career pathway, or moving into Project Management or Human Resources.
Target Student Population: Minimum CASAS Reading GOALS scale score: Reading: 217-227+, CASAS Life and Work 221+, or TABE reading equivalent
Access Curriculum: View Materials
Additional Access Instructions/Links: To see how we set up our course, please check out the videos in the Intro & How-To shared folder first. These short videos give a tour of our program and provide necessary context for the rest of the materials provided.
Course Description: The Microsoft Office Specialist Associate program is a supported independent study that requires at least 10 hours/week of study time & culminates in a practical application exam that grants students an industry recognized credential. Students can earn up to three certificates: MOS Word 365 Associate, MOS Excel 365 Associate and MOS PowerPoint 365 Associate.
In order to earn a certificate, students must complete coursework that includes video lessons, on-line practice labs, and 2-3 hands-on projects that must be peer reviewed then submitted for grading. They are also required to attend 1 synchronous meeting on Zoom each week to deliver a report on their progress to their fellow students. After completing all course requirements, students are eligible to take a certification exam. Testers must earn at least 700/1000 points over the course of a 50 timed, proctored exam to achieve a certificate.
Student may test multiple times.
Duration: 60 – 80 hours per certificate (10 hours/week for 6 – 8 weeks)
Curriculum Materials/Description:
Teacher will need access or subscriptions to:
- Learning management system to organize online class
- GMetrix MOS curricula or similar for video lessons & online labs
- Zoom/Google Meet/MS Teams or similar for video conferencing
In the curriculum materials, we have provided:
- Learning Circle lesson plans
- Context project assignments
Delivery Method(s):
- Online asynchronous (not live)
- Hybrid (a combination of online and in-person instruction)
Curriculum Pluses: Aligned to ACES TIF (Transitions Integration Framework), Aligned to CCRS (College & Career Readiness Standards), Aligned to Northstar Digital Literacy Standards. Because this course leads to an industry recognized credential, the lists of skills & objectives the exams cover is available at https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Certifications/Microsoft/MOS/Certify/Word. Any program wishing to deliver this curriculum could certainly find many free resources to fill in the gaps left by the paid content we use.
Curriculum Drawbacks: Incomplete instructional materials/lesson plans, Paid subscription/account required, Textbook or purchased materials required.
Additional Curriculum Notes: None.
Author: Susan Seyfarth, Metro East Career Pathways
Year Created: 2024
Year Updated: N/A
Contact:
Susan Seyfarth
Metro East Career Pathways
[email protected]
(952) 239-2461