Penn foster basic skills assessment test

CHALLENGE EXAMINATION INFORMATION FORM

In addition to the challenge exam/project assignment, students wishing to challenge a course to earn credit are also required to complete this student information form. Performance on the exam/project is only one of the deciding factors in determining if credit will be granted. The information provided on this form and the samples of your work will be a major consideration in the school’s decision.

The overall goal of the challenge process is to determine your skill level in the challenge topic area and fulfill the objectives of the course you’re challenging. Qualified candidates must not only meet minimum skill levels in all areas of the topic, but also document their experience in the field using those skills. Also, keep in mind that there’s a credit limit of 25 percent of the total credits that can be obtained through challenge exams or any other type of experience-based credit.

Create a new Word document and complete the steps below. You’ll upload this form and any supporting files along with the files for the Challenge Assessment.

1. Title the document Challenge Examination Information Form

2. Type your student contact information:

OO Name

OO Student Number

OO Address

3. Briefly describe how you’ve obtained the skills related to the course you’re challenging. List all courses, seminars, workshops, or other classes you’ve taken related to this course topic. You will also upload a résumé of any professional experience you have that’s related to these skills. Your résumé is one of the documents you will create for the assessment.

4. Describe how you’ve used the skills related to this course topic in your current or previous job experience. Provide specific examples of how these skills are applied and include examples of work that you’ve done related to these skills. We will ask you to gather and upload samples of your own work as supporting documents.

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5. Create a numbered list of contacts for three professional references who can verify your skills in this area. Be sure to ask their permission to list their names and contact information here and give them your consent to discuss your performance, should the school inquire about you.

6. Save the document naming it Challenge Examination Information Form.docx.

INTRODUCTION This optional assessment allows students,who are working professionals and are pro- ficient in the use of the Microsoft Office applications Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as basic computer skills, to demonstrate their ability. If the result of the assessment indicates that you’re sufficiently skilled in the use of Microsoft Office and have the com- puter skills necessary to complete your classes, you won’t be required to complete the Computer Applications course. You shouldn’t attempt this assessment if you aren’t famil- iar with the necessary skills.

This is a proficient/not proficient assignment. If you don’t earn a “PE” for proficient on this assignment, you’ll have to take the Computer Applications course, as it’s a required general education elective course. If you display proficiency and earn a grade of “PE,” you’ll receive academic credit for Computer Applications and can move on in your studies.

Whether or not you choose to attempt the assessment is up to you. If you take the assessment but don’t prove proficiency, there’s no reflection on you and your overall grade won’t be affected. If you start the lessons, the assessment is no longer an option to you.

If you earn a “PE” for proficient on the assignment and earn academic credit, it’s non transferable, and only excuses you from the lessons at Penn Foster.

REVIEWING YOUR SKILLS Before you take the assessment, you should review your computer skills. Since you’re enrolled in a distance education program, you’re probably already comfortable with using computers and the Internet. Many of your class materials are delivered in an electronic format and the portal you use to interact with the school is electronic, as well. In addition to these basic skills, you’ll need to be familiar with the following:

OO Keyboarding (You don’t need to touch type, but you do need to be familiar with your keyboard.)

OO Highlighting and selecting text in a file and cutting, copying, and pasting portions of a file

OO Creating, searching for, and locating files and folders on your computer

OO Accessing, searching, and downloading files from the Internet

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OO Creating, reading, and sending email, including attaching files and opening files

OO Compressing and extracting files and folders

OO Saving files and folders to various drives and removable storage devices on your computer

YOUR ASSIGNMENT There are three parts to this assessment which will check your knowledge of Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint. Your submission will be evaluated by the course instructor to determine eligibility for life experience credit. To obtain credit, all instructions must be followed. Only your original work will be accepted.

MICROSOFT WORD To demonstrate your skills in Microsoft Word, you’ll create a cover letter and résumé fol- lowing the steps below.

COVER LETTER

Complete your cover letter as if you were applying for the job you currently have or a job you wish to have in the future. Create a new Word document and format it as follows:

OO 12-point standard font (Calibri or Times New Roman).

OO Left-aligned, single spaced text (Use the Single spaced Word template or the No Spacing paragraph style in the Blank document template to achieve this.)

OO 1-inch margins on top, bottom, left, and right.

OO Heading with your name, address, and contact information followed by a blank line.

OO Body elements that include:

O� A date line followed by two blank lines (date should automatically update)

O� A salutation line addressing your current boss (If using an imaginary job, address the cover letter to “Mr. Jackson”) followed by a blank line

O� Two or three paragraphs outlining why you’re interested in this job, your work and education experience, and why you would be a good fit for this position with a blank line between each paragraph

O� A closing line (“Best regards,” “Sincerely,” or something similar) followed by three blank lines and your typed name

Save the document naming it Cover Letter.docx.

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RESUME

Your résumé will contain two pages:

1. The first will showcase the facts that make you an ideal candidate for the job.

2. The second will contain a list of professional contacts. You should use the same contacts given on the Challenge Examination Information Form.

Your first page should be formatted as follows:

OO 12-point standard font (Calibri or Times New Roman).

OO A centered header with your name, address, and contact information.

OO At least three sections from the following:

O� Summary—A brief description (three or four lines) of your experience, job goals, and previous job successes

O� Highlights—A bulleted list of your skills and characteristics relevant to the job you’re applying for

O� Experience—A list of your previous jobs, volunteer work, training, or other hands-on experience with the type of work you’re applying for. A typical Experience section contains the following information for each entry:

OO Job title

OO Dates employed

OO Name of business

OO City of business

O� Education—Diplomas, certificates, training programs, or any other alterna- tive education experience. Include the dates attended for each entry.

O� Awards—Any awards, medals, or recognition of achievements received in previous work or education experiences

Your second page should be formatted as follows:

OO 12-point standard font (Calibri or Times New Roman).

OO The same header as the first page.

OO A title that reads “Professional References”

OO Three references that include full names, contact information, and how you know them (manager, coworker, instructor, and so on.) These references will be contacted.

Save the document naming it Resume.docx.

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MICROSOFT EXCEL To demonstrate your skill with Microsoft Excel, you’ll create two separate Excel files.

SCENARIO

Inventory and Payroll are two of the most common uses for Excel. For the first Excel file you will create an Inventory spreadsheet based on the given scenario. For the second excel spreadsheet you will create a payroll based ion the given scenario.

The Inventory scenario is based on a fictitious custom bike builder. Of course, the data given for the scenario is a small sampling of what a shop’s inventory would be. The data represents an end of month quantity and is being used to determine, the balance on hand and which items need to be reorder, if any.

The Payroll scenario is, of course, also just a snapshot of the calculations needed for a company’s payroll.

In an Excel file named Inventory create three sheets named Inventory, Bikes_Made, and Items_Used. Input the data given here. (You should use the previous year for the date.) In addition to the columns given in the inventory data table, add three more columns on your sheet named Balance on Hand, Value of Inventory, and Reorder.

Create a simple formula to calculate the Value of Inventory and complex formulas using the using the data from the three separate sheets to calculate the balance on hand whether the balance on hand is enough, or it is time to reorder the item. If it is time to reorder the item, the cell should contain the word REORDER and the cell should be filled with the color red.

Enter the data listed below.

INVENTORY: DATE RECEIVED, ITEM, COST, INVOICE

OO 4/1/xx, 12 H Front Brakes, unit cost $3.75, invoice number RG970563

OO 4/4/20xx, 22 20”R Rims, unit cost $24.00, invoice number ED99123

OO 4/12/20xx, 75 front reflectors, unit cost $0.50, invoice number JEO1713

OO 4/12/20xx, 50 rear reflectors, unit cost $0.50, invoice number JEO1713

OO 4/21/20xx, 55 20”F Rims, unit cost $15.00, invoice number ED99455

OO 4/13/20xx, 210 32 teeth sprockets, unit cost $14.25, invoice number SC831

OO 4/23/20xx, 180 36 teeth sprockets, unit cost $28.00, invoice number SC831

OO 4/25/20xx, 25 white seats, unit cost $8.00, invoice number WT389

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Enter the following data: Bikes Made

OO MX100

O� January 12

O� February 15

O� March 20

O� April 24

O� May 30

OO MX2000

O� January 11

O� February 10

O� March 11

O� April 12

O� May 14

Enter the following data: Number of Items Used on Each Bike

OO MX100

O� H. Front Breaks 1

O� 20”R Rims 1

O� Front Reflectors 1

O� Rear Reflectors 1

O� 20” F Rims 1

O� 32 Teeth Sprockets 2

O� 36 Teeth Sprockets 0

O� White Seats 1

O� Nobbie Tires 0

O� Regular Tires 2

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OO MX200

O� H. Front Breaks 1

O� 20”R Rims 1

O� Front Reflectors 1

O� Rear Reflectors 1

O� 20” F Rims 1

O� 32 Teeth Sprockets 0

O� 36 Teeth Sprockets 2

O� White Seats 1

O� Nobbie Tires 2

O� Regular Tires 0

OO Reorder Point

O� H. Front Breaks 150

O� 20”R Rims 250

O� Front Reflectors 500

O� Rear Reflectors 500

O� 20” F Rims 250

O� 32 Teeth Sprockets 250

O� 36 Teeth Sprockets 250

O� White Seats 150

O� Nobbie Tires 100

O� Regular Tires 100

PAYROLL

Create an Excel spreadsheet named Payroll.

Columns: Name, class, clock hours, gross earnings, health deductions, pension annuity, general deductions, and net earnings.

The spreadsheet should show a grand total for clock hours, gross earnings, health deductions, pension annuity, general deductions, and net earnings.

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Ten employees with three different classes: Journeyman (1), Apprentice(2), and Welder Cleanup(3).

Enter the following data (name, class, clock hours, gross earnings):

James, Jerry 1 160 $3,200.00

Marks, Thomas 1 160 $3,200.00

Stem, Oliver 1 140 $2,800.00

Thompson, Randy 1 165 $3,3550.00

Summers, John 1 170 $3,500.00

Larson, David 1 145.5 $2,910.00

Peterson, Michael 2 160 $2,400.00

Clark, Lewis 2 175 $2,700.00

Custer, George 2 120.5 $1,807.50

O’Hare, Brutus 3 80 $960.00

Health deductions: contributions from all employees are calculated at $2.50 per hour worked.

Pension annuity deduction: contributions for Journeyman are calculated at $1.00 per hour worked and Apprentices are computed at $0.50 per hour worked. Welder Cleanup employees do not have a pension.

General deduction is 3% of gross earnings.

Each deduction amount should be entered into an individual labeled cell on the spreadsheet.

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MICROSOFT POWERPOINT To demonstrate your skill with Microsoft PowerPoint, you’ll create a presentation based on a review of a restaurant or historical location in your town.

Create a Power Point Presentation with ten to fifteen slides based on a restaurant or historical site near your home. Choose an appropriate theme for the presentation. The first slide should use Title Slide layout. Your presentation must include, hyperlinks, slide transformations, animations, images, sounds, and video related to your topic. The presentation should run automatically but the animations on the individual slides should execute on a mouse click.

SENDING FILES After you’ve created and saved the files required for the assessment, place the files in a folder and compress (zip) the folder. You’ll email the folder to the school’s email address for review to the contact on the portal.

The subject line of the email should contain the following phrase: Computer Applications Challenge Assessment.

In the body of the email, include your name, address, and student number. The attached compressed (zipped) folder must contain the following:

OO The Challenge Examination Information Form Word document and any supporting files, as discussed in the Required Information Form section

OO The Cover Letter and Resume Word files

OO The Excel file

OO The PowerPoint file

OO An example of previous work you have done in Microsoft word, Excel, and PowerPoint. (You must submit 1 example of each)

Include a detailed description in your email as to where you received your prior documented training in Microsoft office.