State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn has called high schools in the Renton School District trailblazers for employing the use of technology in the classroom.

The schools got the high praise because high school students in the district are learning more about technology and are more proficient at using programs in Microsoft Operating Systems than other students in the state, according to a district press release.

The students are involved in what’s called Microsoft IT Academy. Microsoft and Washington state launched a public-private partnership in September to deploy the academy. It provides students with future-ready technology skills needed to be successful in college and career, a district release stated.

All of the state’s 703 high schools were presented the Microsoft IT Academy program, the largest implementation of its kind in the country.

While all high schools in the state were offered the program, it is not known how many actually decided to implement it, said Randy Matheson, Renton School District spokesperson.

Renton students in the academy get equal access to technology, training skills and certification in using Microsoft programs.

This past fall, Renton teachers began developing curriculum to support the Microsoft Operating System certification process. In just a few months, hundreds of district high school students have become proficient in the use of the programs and are passing Microsoft certification exams. Teachers expect to double the number of students passing certification exams in the spring semester. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, by 2018 there will be more than 1.2 million jobs available in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) related fields, the district release stated.

The Microsoft IT Academy prepares students for a number of careers or for higher education and provides a technical path for students interested in pursuing an IT career, such as database administration or software development. The program also strengthens Washington’s position as a technology hub and attracts top companies to the state’s pool of technology talent.