Course Technology Announces Sponsorship of Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification Project.

Business Editors

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 21, 2001

Worldwide Leader in Computing Education Shows Commitment to

Teacher Training and the Development of Information Technology

Standards for Secondary Educators and Students

Course Technology, a division of Thomson Learning and the worldwide leader in computer education publishing, today announced sponsorship of the Washington State Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification Project.

The Project forms a partnership between secondary public schools and the private sector that strengthens the overall curriculum, enhances faculty development, better prepares students, and thereby ensures a prepared and skilled workforce.

Through this sponsorship, secondary teachers will utilize SAM, Course Technology's popular live-in-the-application, skills-based assessment software for Microsoft(R) Office 2000 and Skill Measure their simulated Office 2000 assessment software to train and prepare for MOUS certification. Course Technology will also have one representative on the MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification curriculum and project management team and will participate in the design and implementation of the MOUS Business-IT Pathways Educator Certification train-the-trainer sessions.

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, based on industry-recognized skills. The performance-based MOUS certification provides a global standard for computer application skills and productivity and can validate credentials for corporations, academic institutions, training organizations, and individuals.

According to Joe Dougherty, CEO of Course Technology, "This partnership is just one example of Course Technology's commitment to helping educators prepare the workforce of the future. Our products and dedication to education, matched with a program such as this, create a strong solution to address the needs of both educators and industry."

Course Technology has previously been involved in other similar teacher training events including the Indiana MOUS Camp last summer where 58 high school business educators where trained on Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint for one-week. Using SAM as a preparation tool, the MOUS exam passing rate at the Camp was 92.8% for Microsoft Word.

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.

This 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 Technologies' (NWCET) Educator-to-Educator IT Institute (E2E) professional development program.

About Course Technology

Course Technology (www.course.com), a division of Thomson Learning, is the worldwide leader in computing education, offering more than 1,600 print and innovative technology-based products for business and technology training courses. Thomson Learning is among the world's largest providers of lifelong learning information. Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, with multiple offices worldwide, Thomson Learning (www.thomsonlearning.com) is a division of The Thomson Corporation (TTC).