DANTES information Bulletin (8) Aug 2020

DIB

AUG

DANTES INFORMATION BULLETIN

2020

Submit Exam Reimbursement Requests by Sep 1 In this issue: Exam Reimbursements

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Hot News

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Troops to Teachers

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Contact Information

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DANTES Information Bulletin

Customer Support for Exam Reimbursements Michelle Alexander, Voluntary Education Support, DANTES

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ANTES is the shared Service provider for Department of Defense (DoD) voluntary education (VolEd) programs. Being a shared Service provider enables DANTES to deliver consolidated management for programs, such as reimburseable College Readiness Exams, including acquisition and administrative activities to prevent the duplication of effort among the Services and reduce costs for service members.

One way that DANTES’ proVol 633

grams save military members costs is through the reimbursement of some college readiness exams. The following information is provided for counselors so that they can help military students submit reimbursement requests after taking a GED, ACT, SAT, GRE, GMAT, or PRAXIS exam.

FY20 is coming to an end and all reimbursement requests should be submitted by Sep 1 to help ensure funding is available and processed. http://www.dantes.doded.mil

Exam Reimbursements

Eligibility for Exam Reimbursements In order to apply for exam reimbursements, a military member must: • Currently be on active duty, in the Guard, or in a Reserve component • Possess a valid CAC card • Have access to a CAC-enabled computer • Take the exam at a National or International Test Center • Submit a request via the Electronic Reimbursement Request website • Attach the score report • Attach the payment receipt What Exams are Reimbursable?

DANTES reimburses eligible military members for the following exams: • • • •

GED ACT and SAT GRE and GMAT PRAXIS

DANTES Information Bulletin

DANTES reimburses for the test administration fee only. Counselors should make sure that students know that DANTES does not reimburse for the following fees/expenses, including but not limited to, rescheduling, cancellation, late-arrival fees, forfeiture fees, service charges, credit-card interest, travel expenses, and Value Added Tax (VAT).

GED Exam The GED exam offers an alternative for those who didn’t finish high school but have goals for the future. DANTES reimburses eligible military members for GED test fees once per lifetime of service.

ACT Exam Colleges, military-sponsored academies and officer accession programs may require ACT test results as part of the admission application process. Eligible service members may be reimbursed for two ACT exams per lifetime of service.

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Exam Reimbursements ACT Exam con’t ACT exam fees are payed up front by the member. If a service member chooses to take the writing portion of the ACT exam, there is an additional fee. DANTES will reimburse this fee and the test fee with payment receipts for both.

Service members are responsible for test registration, knowledge of test dates and locations, and test preparation.

For more information on the ACT exam, visit https://www.dantes.doded.mil/EducationPrograms/enter-college/undergradexams.html SAT Exam The SAT exam is similar to the ACT exam. Colleges, military-sponsored academies and officer accession programs may require SAT test results as part of the admission application process.

Eligible service members may be reimbursed for two SAT exams per lifetime of service when taken at a National or International test center.

When taken, the SAT with Essay is strongly encour-

DANTES Information Bulletin

aged by DANTES. Service members are responsible for scheduling the test, adhering to the published National and International Test Dates Calendar, and paying the test fee at the time of registration.

For more information on the SAT exam, visit https://www.dantes.doded.mil/EducationPrograms/enter-college/undergradexams.html GRE Exam DANTES provides reimbursement for the GRE General and GRE Subject exams to help service members meet entrance requirements for graduate school and/or military-specific programs.

DANTES reimburses eligible military members for test fees, once per lifetime of service, for both of these exams. For the GRE Subject Tests, reimbursement limited to a single Subject exam.

For more information on the GRE exam, visit the GRE® website, https://www.ets.org/gre/.

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Exam Reimbursements

GMAT Exam The GMAT is similar to the GRE Exam. DANTES provides reimbursement for the GMAT exams to help service members meet entrance requirements for graduate school and/or military-specific programs.

Remember...

For each of the exams, the following fees are NOT reimbursed: additional expenses, including but not limited to, rescheduling, cancellation, late-arrival fees, forfeiture fees, service charges, credit-card interest, travel expenses, and Value Added Tax (VAT).

DANTES reimburses eligible military members Also, all exam reimbursement requests must be for test fees, once per lifetime of service, for the submitted via the Electronic Reimbursement Request.

GMAT. For more information on the GMAT exam, visit https://www.mba.com/exams/gmat/before-the-exam/register-for-the-gmat-exam

Contact the Exams Program via email at DANTES_reimbursements@navy.mil if there are any questions regarding the electronic reimbursement submission process.

PRAXIS Exam The Praxis® tests measure academic skills and subject-specific content knowledge needed for teaching. If entering the teaching profession, the Praxis Series® tests may be a required part of the certification process for many states and professional licensing organizations. DANTES reimburses Praxis® test fees for eligible military personnel.

End of Fiscal Year 20 Actions As we approach the end of Fiscal Year 20, we encourage submission of Reimbursement Requests, to include official score report and proof of payment receipt, as early as possible and preferably no later than September 1, 2020. Although electronic requests will be accepted after Sep 1, DANTES must have end-of-year financial transactions closed out

by September 15, 2020 per DoD Standard. As such, we cannot guarantee Exam Program processing and approval of Reimbursement Requests submitted on or after the Sep 15, 2020.

DANTES reimburses eligible military members for the Praxis® Series test fees, once per lifetime of service, for the following exams: Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators (Core) and either the Praxis® Subject Assessment or the Praxis® Content Knowledge for Teaching Assessment (CKT).

DANTES Information Bulletin

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Exam Reimbursements

reimbursement

Click on the graphic below to download, you can also go to https://www. dantes.doded.mil/CounselorsReps/index.html for other DANTES infographics.

HOW TO GET REIMBURSED FOR EXAMS

REIMBURSEMENT ELIGIBILITY: Military personnel, including active duty, National Guard, Reserve components, and Coast Guard, must have and maintain a valid government-issued Common Access Card (CAC) to be eligible for DANTES reimbursement. ** NOTE: There is no exception to this rule.

EXAMS REIMBURSED:

Fees Not Reimbursed: Additional expenses, including but not limited to rescheduling, cancellation, late arrival/forfeiture, service charges, credit card interest, travel expenses, and Value Added Tax (VAT) are not reimbursed.

REIMBURSEMENT STEPS VISIT THE EXAM REIMBURSEMENT CENTER: All exam reimbursement requests must be submitted via the Electronic Reimbursement Request, https://daims.doded.mil/Reimbursements/ReimbursementRegistration.aspx SUBMIT A REIMBURSEMENT REQUEST SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: The following are required to apply for exam reimbursement: - valid government issued CAC - proof of exam completion (a score report) - proof of payment (your payment receipt) - valid DEERS profile -- must be accurate and complete

-- OCONUS address must include city, state, and zip code (ie: APO, AE zip code) -- invalid/missing information must be corrected prior to submission KNOW THE FACTS FOLLOW THESE ADDITIONAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: - apply within 90 days of exam completion -- upload justification when outside of the current or prior Fiscal Year (FY) -- justification does not guarantee approval

** NOTE: The government runs on an Oct 1 to Sept 30 budget year. Prior FY is the immediate year preceding the current FY. - apply within 90 days of your separation date -- CAC expiration makes the request process null and void - address must be valid for 90 days after submission to avoid delays or rejection of payment by Defense Finance & Accounting Service (DFAS)

SUBMIT REIMBURSEMENT REQUEST TO: https://daims.doded.mil/Reimbursements/ReimbursementRegistration.aspx

DANTES Information Bulletin

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Hot News

Online Academic Skills Training Course

P

eterson’s Academic Skills Training courses are updated and offer NEW science content! Check out the FREE 24/7 on-line education tools to help you save time and money on your college degree!

Go to: www.myvoled.com/oasc-cpst for more information!

Check out the MilEd Benefits App

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e sure to check out DANTES’ newest education tool, the MilEd Benefits Mobile App. The new app was created to help service members receive the most up-to-date information about their military education (MilEd) benefits. Service members in all Services, including the National Guard, Reserve components, and the U.S. Coast Guard can benefit from this app. The MilEd Benefits mobile app is free and available to the public from the Apple and Google Play Stores. Most importantly though, provides easy access to military education benefits, offered by the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, the Military Services, and DANTES.

Apple Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/miled-benefits/ id1480568789 Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.quickseries.rca.dantes.MilEd DANTES Website: https://www.dantes.doded.mil/Resources/ MilEdBenefits.html App Flyer: https://www.dantes.doded.mil/documents/infographics/MilEd%20Benefits%20Mobile%20 App%20Flyer.pdf

We’re continually updating and adding information. Learn more about the MilEd Benefits mobile app and download it today. It’s another tool in your toolbox bound to deliver something new to use and share!

DANTES Information Bulletin

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Troops to Teachers State Partners to Support Military Members and Veterans Taheesha Quarells, Director, Troops to Teachers (TTT) Korey Brown, TTT Colorado Principal Consultant, Educator Talent Sherry Harris, Education Specialist: Troops to Teachers The Troops to Teachers program is the only federal program that works in concert with state departments of education to help service members and veterans become teachers in America’s classrooms. This year, the DIB has dedicated a portion of each issue to introducing the voluntary education and transition community to the various sources of customer support across the TTT program. The work done by each of the 31 state partners on behalf of the Troops to Teachers program helps service members overcome barriers to education, teacher certification, and employment to connect to K-12 career pathways. For those who may have missed previous issues of the DIB, you can check out the portions of the TTT team already covered: • January- the National Program Office Team (https://issuu.com/dantes_dod/docs/1-dib_jan_ 2020finalb?fr=sNjE2YTkwNDg1) • February- Missouri, Iowa, and North Carolina (https://issuu.com/dantes_dod/docs/1-dib_ feb_2020_final) • March- Florida, Alabama, and Michigan (https://issuu.com/dantes_dod/docs/3_-_mar_ dib_2020) • April- Kansas and Oklahoma (https://issuu.com/dantes_dod/docs/dib_apr_2020final) • May- Ohio and Hawaii (https://issuu.com/dantes_dod/docs/1-dib_may_2020final) • June- Highlight on how TTT helps overcome specific barriers (https://issuu.com/dantes_dod/ docs/1-dib_jun_2020final) • July- Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia (https://issuu.com/dantes_dod/docs/1-dib_jul_ 2020final) This month we highlight the Troops to Teachers programs in Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.

DANTES Information Bulletin

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Colorado Troops to Teachers relationship building at six military bases as well as with local schools and districts, higher education and communities. There is also strong relationship development between the Colorado Department of Education and veterans through targeted recruitment, career guidance, and support in the classroom through mentorship.

Outreach Around the State The state of Colorado has approximately 409,000 veterans and serves over 900,000 students across urban and rural contexts. The state, like all others in the country, is experiencing an increasing teacher shortage in critical content areas such as math, science, and special education, as well as in rural and ever-growing suburban areas. While the state has a teacher shortage, it has a population of over 400,000 highly talented, skilled, socially conscious military veterans ready to fill the void and support children in K-12 classrooms.

The Troops to Teachers Colorado program supports matching veterans with high need education areas including geographically isolated rural school areas, high need socioeconomic areas, and hard to fill subject areas such as math, science, special education, foreign language and STEM subjects.

On a monthly basis, the Colorado team engages in several outreach activities to six military installations. Prior to COVID-19, the program delivered face-to-face presentations such as during Soldier for Life Transition Assistance workshops, DoD SkillBridge/Army Career Skills Program information and candidate briefings, etc. On a quarterly basis, the team presents Teach as a Second Career seminars, attends various job fairs, and conducts webinars on becoming licensed as a teacher. The Teach as a Second Career Seminars and Information Sessions provide opportunities to learn about: various licensure pathways and options to becoming a teacher, licensing requirements for Colorado, services available through Troops to Teachers, and recent updates and/or changes to the Troops to Teachers program. Attendees also learn more about career opportunities first-hand from representatives from Colorado school districts.

The Colorado program focuses on face-to-face

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Colorado Troops to Teachers Professional Development for Participants

During certain times of the year, the program offers several professional development activities. This includes: • Educator Boot Camp preparing new hires and first year teachers for their “first day” in the classroom (in-person and virtual platforms) • Educator Effectiveness Surveys to ensure program participants are receiving adequate preparation • Substitute Orientation preparing those exploring education as a career for their “first day” in the classroom • K-12 Employment Days –an internal TTT job fair that includes access to jobs at various levels within school districts

State Incentives for Military/Veterans

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Teaching Certification Credit for military instructor experience and up to 12 hours of graduate credit with Teaching Certification Completion.

In Colorado, there are monetary and life-style incentives for service in “rural areas” accounting for 65% of its land mass. In fact, many rural school districts provide low-cost housing and continuing education opportunities.

Meet the Staff

Korey Brown (Colorado) Principal Consultant: brown_k@cde.state.co.us Phone: 303-945-5537 Korey retired from the Army after 25 years of service and served in K-12 schools in Colorado Springs as both an Elementary and Special Educator. He has been serving Troops to Teachers candidates for 3 years.

Tricia Majors (Colorado) Director of Operations, Educator Talent Division, Colorado Department of Education: majors_t@ cde.state.co.us Phone: 303-866-6678 Tricia has worked with the Colorado Department of Education for almost 9 years with a background in DANTES Information Bulletin

policy. As the Director of Operations, she oversees all programs and projects for the Educator Talent Division and specifically leads the Troops to Teachers team.

John Scheuer (Colorado) Senior Recruiting Consultant: Scheuer_j@cde. state.co.us Phone: 719-526-1201 John served in the Navy for 9 years and served in K-12 schools as an educator in both Arizona and Colorado as a Social Studies and Mathematics teacher. He is currently pursuing an additional graduate degree & licensure in education leadership. John has served Troops to Teachers candidates for 15 years.

Contact the Team Official Websites: Colorado: https://www.cde.state.co.us/educatortalent/troopstoteacherscolorado Social Media Accounts: Colorado: https://www.linkedin.com/ groups/12084733 Office Locations: Colorado: SLF-TAP, 1636 Elwell Street, Building 6236, Room 113, Fort Carson, CO 80913

6000 East Evans Avenue, Building #2, Suite 100, Denver, CO 80222 http://www.dantes.doded.mil

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New Mexico Troops to Teachers Programs information tabling • Candidate Out-Reach Quarterly Programs: • Teach as Second Career Seminars attended by education preparation programs and school district leadership • Job Fairs • Virtual Webinars on preparation and licensing

The Troops to Teachers New Mexico Program assists transitioning service members and veterans with meeting the requirements necessary to become teachers, and assists program participants with finding employment as a teacher. Every eligible New Mexico service member interested in a career in teaching will receive assistance to transition his or her leadership, training, and core values to teaching in kindergarten through grade twelve schools.

New Mexico is experiencing an increasing teacher shortage in critical content areas such as math, science, and special education, as well as in rural and ever-growing suburban areas.

While the state has a teacher shortage, it has a population of over 12,000 active duty members of the military and approximately 170,000 military veterans ready to fill the void and support New Mexico’s classrooms.

Professional Development for Participants

Professional Development Seasonal Programs: • Educator Boot Camp preparing new hires and first year teachers for their “first day” in the classroom (in-person and virtual platforms) • Educator Effectiveness Surveys • Substitute Orientation preparing those exploring education as a career for their “first day” in the classroom • K-12 Employment Days – Internal Troops to Teachers job fair (includes educational support positions)

State Incentives for Military/Veterans

• Waiver of Certification fees • Up to 9 hours graduate credit toward certification awarded for military instructor experience.

The program focuses on conducting outreach opportunities at New Mexico’s four military bases, and working with New Mexico Educator Preparation Programs, NM Veterans’ affairs, and the NM Department of Workforce Solutions to support and retain potential military educators.

Outreach Around the State

Monthly Programs: • Transition Program Information Briefings • Career Skills / Skillbridge Information & Candidate Briefings • Education Preparation Program visits and DANTES Information Bulletin

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New Mexico Troops to Teachers Meet the Staff

Robert Faris Recruiting Consultant: faris_r@cde.state.co.us Phone: 720-646-0952 Robert served in the Navy and has served Illinois and Colorado students for 24 years as both a classroom teacher and administrator. He has been serving Troops to Teachers candidates for 2 years.

Becky Kappus -not pictured Educator Preparation Program Coordinator: Becky.Kappus@state.nm.us Phone: 505-827-6559 Becky leads a team that oversees the approval of New Mexico’s teacher and administrator licensure programs. Prior to her current position, Becky worked as the Chair of the College of Education at University of Phoenix. Becky served as a middle school social studies teacher for 25 years.

Contact the Team

Official Websites: New Mexico: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/bureaus/licensure/troops-to-teachers/ Social Media Accounts: New Mexico: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-faris Office Location: 300 Don Gaspar Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87501

DANTES Information Bulletin

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Texas Troops to Teachers Program Outreach Around the State

The Texas Troops to Teachers Program office works with the Texas Education Agency (TEA), along with the Education Service Center: Region 13, to provide veterans with the latest and most up to date information for the teacher certification process.

Texas has several routes to certification that can be tailored to best meet a veteran’s needs. Texas is looking for motivated, experienced, and dedicated service members who want to transition their leadership, training and core values to serving in Kindergarten through 12th grade schools. The Texas program helps veterans meet shortages in critically needed subjects and schools that are all over the great Lone Star state.

Texas State statistics: • Texas, as the 2nd largest state, has 31 military installations spread out over 268,581 square miles.

• Texas has 1,214 school districts, this includes 181 charter school districts and this includes 9,398 active school units. Texas provides services to over 5,385,012 students.

• In 2017-2018 Texas employed 362,193 teachers and 1,165 substitute teachers assigned as the teacher of record.

• In 2017-2018 Texas had 23,927 newly certified teachers with the majority coming through Alternative Certification Programs (ACPs).

• For 2019-2020 the designated shortage areas are: Bilingual/English as a Second Language, Special Education, Career and Technical Education, Technology Applications and Computer Science, and Mathematics.

DANTES Information Bulletin

TTT Texas provides virtual briefings, base visits and attends job fairs. The program attends base education and transition briefings on several military installations throughout the state. They also provide monthly and quarterly Teaching As a Second Career (TASC)/Troops to Teachers (TTT) briefings at several military installations in coordination with both Base Education and Base Family Readiness organizations. The Texas team frequently works with RecruitMilitary Job Fairs to provide information to both veterans and service members on the program. The program also provides information to National Guard and Reserve units, as well as attend Yellow Ribbon events.

Routes to Certification

Texas offers an alternative route to certification that can be tailored to meet service members and veterans’ needs! Some of the highlights are that these Alternative Certification Programs (ACPs) enable candidates to get their intern/probationary certification to teach that first year as a paid intern/teacher of record as part of the program compared to the un-paid clinical student teaching that is part of traditional programs. Additionally some of these ACPs have 100% of their coursework online, which enables service members the opportunity to get started prior to returning to Texas for separation or retirement. There are multiple ACPs that are VA certified for the use of veterans’ GI Bill.

Texas also offers Career and Technical Education certification for Trade and Industrial Certification fields for candidates with a high school diploma and at least 5 out of the last 10 years of full-time wage earning experience, plus certification for both Trade and Industrial field and Health Science fields with an Associate’s degree or higher and at least 2 out of the last 10 years of full-time wage earning experience.

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Texas Troops to Teachers State Incentives for Military/Veterans

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) provides several benefits specifically for service members, veterans and spouses of active duty service members including fee waivers for things like the intern/probationary certificate, the first standard certificate, credentials review and expedited services.

The state of Texas also has its own educational benefits package. If military members entered into active duty as a resident of Texas, they may qualify for the Hazlewood Act when attending a Texas public college or university. The Hazlewood Act exempts qualified students taking classes from all tuition and fee charges of up to 150 semester credit hours for classes for which the college receives state tax support.

Also, Texas participates in reciprocity for those who have received their teaching certification from outside of Texas. The steps to utilize reciprocity start with submitting a request for credentials review to the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

Meet the Staff

The Texas TTT program team consists of knowledgeable, experienced and dedicated professionals who are readily available to provide guidance and counseling for the Troops to Teachers program and the Texas teacher certification process:

Erin Midgley Romero, Associate Director: Special Projects, Strategic Initiatives Erin has over 18 years of experience in project management and grant administration. She holds a master’s degree in Public Administration.

Contact Team: DANTES Information Bulletin

Ronald Holmes, Project Coordinator: Troops to Teachers. Ron served in the Army, taught and was a principal prior to joining the TTT team.

Sherry Harris, Education Specialist: Troops to Teachers. Sherry graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, was an officer in the Army - Signal Corp, obtained her MBA in Information Systems to work in the high tech industry for some time and then became an elementary teacher for 15 years prior to joining the TTT team.

Matt Morgan, Program Assistant: Troops to Teachers. Matt graduated from Texas State University with a major in Geography and has held several leadership positions prior to joining the TTT team.

Our website: https://www.texastroopstoteachers.org/ Phone number: 1-800-810-5484 Email: TTTTexas@j2info.com Facebook: @Texas_TTT / Twitter: Troops To Teachers-Texas Physical Address: 5701 Springdale Road, Austin, TX 78723 http://www.dantes.doded.mil

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DANTES Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support

DANTES OCONUS European Advisor (Contingency Operation Support)

6490 Saufley Field Road, Pensacola, FL 32509 (850) 452-1901

DANTES_Outreach@navy.mil

011-49-611-143-511-1230

usarmy.badenwur.usareur.mbx.dantes-euro@ mail.mil

www.DANTES.DoDed.mil www.proudtoserveagain.com

DANTES INFORMATION BULLETIN

DANTES Information Bulletin The DANTES Information Bulletin is published monthly to inform education personnel about DANTES programs and to help promote more efficient customer service to service members.

Email all inquiries to DANTES_Outreach@navy.mil.

Reproduction in whole or in part is permitted for any purpose of the United States Government, except that copyrighted materials cannot be reproduced without written permission from the copyright owner. The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by DANTES of the linked websites, or the information, products, or services contained therein.

Jeff Allen, Director Michelle Alexander, Editor DANTES Information Bulletin

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