New IT Academy Benefit: Microsoft Digital Literacy Designed for anyone with a ninth-grade reading level and a need for digital literacy skills, the Digital Literacy curriculum is now available to IT Academies. Digital Literacy provides essential ICT skills training for students new to computing by providing a fundamental understanding of how computers impact daily life, and the concepts and skills to create documents, communicate using e-mail, browse the Web, and use a computer responsibly. The curriculum consists of five courses:

•	Computer Basics
•	The Internet and World Wide Web
•	Productivity Programs
•	Computer Security and Privacy
•	Digital Lifestyles

Each course has online e-learning and a skills assessment. Completing the assessment creates a personalized learning plan so that students will know which topics may require further study. The curriculum culminates in a low-stakes certificate test that explores topics from all five courses. Students who pass the certificate test may personalize and print out a Digital Literacy certificate.