Available on Windows 
, Mac 
, or Chromebooks
Recommended for Grades 6 - 8
The CompuScholar Tech Essentials course is a great starting point for middle-school students to learn basic computer skills.
Topics Covered
This single-semester course covers fundamental computing topics and skills such as:
- File management
- Using Word processors, spreadsheets, and presentation programs
- Creating images, sounds, and videos
- Doing online research
- Introductory coding concepts
- Digital citizenship
- Online safety
Click on the Course Syllabus tab to see a complete list of topics.
Student Work
All lesson quizzes and chapter tests are auto-graded by our system. Students will complete hands-on coding projects in every chapter, and these projects are a mixture of teacher or parent-graded and auto-graded, depending on the chapter and topic.
Scroll through the images below to see a few examples of student work.
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Spreadsheets, Charts, and Graphs
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Formatting Word Processing Documents
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Creating images, sounds, and videos
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Using online search engines
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Simple Coding in Blockly
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Simple Coding in Python
Prices & Course Details
| Subscription Price | $15 / month or $120 / year |
|---|---|
| Nominal Length | 1 semester or 0.5 credits or 90 hours |
| Pacing | Self-study & self-paced |
| Accounts Included | Student and Teacher |
| Grading - Quizzes and Tests | Auto-graded by System |
| Grading - Student Projects | Mixture of Parent (Teacher) and Auto-Grading |
Read more about How it Works!
All subscriptions are per-student, per-course.
Yearly Subscriptions
A yearly subscription provides you a full calendar year (12 months) access to the course material. The 1-year window does not start until you redeem your purchased registration codes to create your account. So, you can purchase now and get started when ready.
Monthly Subscriptions
Monthly subscriptions are auto-billed to your credit card each month. You can maintain the subscription for as long as your student needs to complete the course and cancel the subscription at any time. There is no long-term commitment.
NOTE: The quantity you enter for a monthly subscription is the number of students, not the number of months. For example, a quantity of 3 will purchase 1 month of access for 3 students, not 3 months for 1 student.
Siblings and Families
If you choose a 1-year subscription, then you can add additional siblings to the same class for $40. The additional sibling accounts will run concurrently with the original student in the same course and cannot be used at a later time or for a different course.
If you choose a monthly subscription, then each sibling will require an additional monthly subscription at the same rate. The additional sibling monthly subscriptions can be cancelled indepdently of the original student.
In either case, purchase just one student initially, and then create your teacher account and add the sibling from your Teacher's Menu within the course.
Sibling licenses are only permitted for immediate family members of an already-licensed student. Unrelated students must always have their own full license.
Click here for detailed instructions on purchasing an additional sibling account!
Refund Guarantee
If, within the first 30 days, you find your selected course is not a good fit for your student for any reason, we will fully refund your purchase price (1-year subscription or first month subscription) and cancel your account with no obligation.
Please review our course syllabus, which contains the following information:
- Specific chapter and lesson topics
- Pacing guide, overall course length and exepected hours per week
Tech Essentials may meet standards for middle school computer skills courses in your state. Please click on your state link below to view all alignments for your state.
If you don't see your state listed, please contact us to discuss your requirements!
Alabama - Visit our Alabama standards page
Arizona - Visit our Arizona standards page
Arkansas - Visit our Arkansas standards page
California - Visit our California standards page
Connecticut - Visit our Connecticut standards page
Florida - Visit our Florida standards page
Georgia - Visit our Georgia standards page
Hawaii - Visit our Hawaii standards page
Idaho - Visit our Idaho standards page
Illinois - Visit our Illinois standards page
Indiana - Visit our Indiana standards page
Iowa - Visit our Iowa standards page
Kentucky - Visit our Kentucky standards page
Louisiana - Visit our Louisiana standards page
Massachusetts - Visit our Massachusetts standards page
Mississippi - Visit our Mississippi standards page
Missouri - Visit our Missouri standards page
Maryland - Visit our Maryland standards page
Michigan - Visit our Michigan standards page
Minnesota - Visit our Minnesota standards page
Nevada - Visit our Nevada standards page
New Mexico - Visit our New Mexico standards page
New York - Visit our New York standards page
North Carolina - Visit our North Carolina standards page
Ohio - Visit our Ohio standards page
Oklahoma - Visit our Oklahoma standards page
Pennsylvania - Visit our Pennsylvania standards page
South Carolina - Visit our South Carolina standards page
Tennessee - Visit our Tennessee standards page
Texas - Visit our Texas standards page
Utah - Visit our Utah standards page
Virginia - Visit our Virginia standards page
Washington - Visit our Washington standards page
West Virginia - Visit our West Virginia standards page
Wisconsin - Visit our Wisconsin standards page
This course can be completed on any Windows , Mac computer, or Chromebook with sufficient web browser and a Internet connection.
No local software installation is needed; online alternatives (e.g. Google Docs/Sheets/Slides) can be used in all places where we teach students to use 3rd party software. Students may optionally use locally installed apps like Microsoft Office if they own that software and have a compatible computer.
For detailed hardware and software requirements, please see:
