Dantes 3 mar 2017 newsletter

DIB

MAR

DANTES INFORMATION BULLETIN

2017

Duty & Education: How To Accomplish Both In this issue: Programs to Save Money

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Programs to Save Time

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No Cost Education Tools

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Troops to Teachers Update

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Education Spotlight Exams Reimbursements Hot News: CLEP Educator Resources CLEP Exams/DAIMS Contact Information

VolEd Programs to Save Time & Money Kirstin Savage/Erin Roberts, Communications Division, DANTES

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tatistically, individuals with a college degree earn a significantly higher salary than those without and service members are no exception.

Professional military educators face many challenges helping military students achieve their educational goals, which can lead to advancement opportunities while serving in the military and successful careers when transitioning into the civilian workforce. Two significant challenges are identifying flexible academic programs that allow members to meet the high demands of a military career and helping members make responsible financial decisions while pursuing their education.

For more than 40 years, DANTES has provided education counselors with

programs and services that help deliver education solutions designed to save service members time and money, driving their academic success. The following programs are available at no cost or reimbursable to active duty, Guard, and Reserve component members (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard). Some programs are available to DoD civilians and eligible military family members.

Additional information on the following DoD voluntary education programs can also be found on the DANTES website, www.dantes.doded.mil, and on the DANTES military student blog, www.dantes4military.com.

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Save Money College Admission Exams Many colleges require students to submit test results as part of the college admission application process. These tests may also be required for entry into an officer accession program or to meet various service specific requirements. DANTES’ college admission exams include the ACT, SAT, GMAT and GRE. If reimbursed by DANTES, the cost savings ranges from approximately $40 for the ACT to $250 for the GMAT. Visit DANTES website for more information on testing and reimbursements, http:// www.dantes.doded.mil/examinations/funding-and-reimbursement-eligibility/reimbursement-eligibility.html College Credit by Examination The CLEP and DSST exams allow service members to earn college credit by simply demonstrating through testing, the knowledge and skills they’ve already acquired. Although the exams are different products, both offer the same end result – providing college credit that service members can use towards a college degree without sitting in a classroom – saving money and decreasing the time it takes to earn a degree. DANTES funds the CLEP and DSST exams for service members at National Test Centers (NTCs) located on and off base, around the world. Learn more about the CLEP and DSST

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programs, http://www.dantes.doded.mil/examinations/index.html.

College and Career Planning Developing a plan for pursuing a career or college degree is definitely one way to help save both time and money. Kuder Journey provides an intuitive career planning system designed to address each member’s individual situation. The career planning process starts with learning about oneself through research-based interests, skills and work value assessments to encourage optimal career satisfaction. Members receive a personal career plan customized with options for future occupations, counseling to help plan for transition, and recommended pathways for education goals. The Kuder Journey program provides members with a motivational tool to follow and helps eliminate wasted time and money on unnecessary classes that may not fit into a member’s suggested career path. College and career planning helps service members develop a list of what needs to be done and ultimately keeps a member on track with an end goal in mind. For more information on Kuder Journey, visit http://www.dantes.kuder.com/.

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Save Time

College Comparison Tool As an education counselor, how many times has a prospective student said they want to go back to school but they don’t know where to start? TA DECIDE is a Defense Department (DoD) tool to assist service members with choosing the right college for their individual needs. The tool is online and easily accessible, with thousands of schools to choose from. Each school has been vetted by the DoD to ensure quality and value. Plus, all schools are eligible for military tuition assistance (TA). When a college has already met quality-driven criteria and is eligible for TA, a member cannot help but save time and money. See more details about TA DECIDE at https://www.dodmou.com/TADECIDE. Military Training and Experience Evaluations Service members can use what they know and their past experiences to get college credit. Talk about saving time and money! The Defense Department partners with the American Council on Education (ACE) to translate military learning experiences into comparable civilian postsecondary college credit.

The Joint Service Transcript (JST) capitalizes on the knowledge and experience of highly-skilled service members by documenting occupational experience and training and translating that information into ACE-recommended college credit. This “credit for prior learning” can be used to help reduce the amount of time it takes to complete degree requirements and may serve as a guide for developing resumes or career portfolios.

Military education counselors and service members may request a free JST by visiting https:// jst.doded.mil. Air Force members can request a transcript through Air University by visiting www. airuniversity.af.mil.

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SOC Degree Network System The Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Degree Network System (DNS) is comprised of colleges and universities that have adopted specific DoD Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) policies to ensure service members earn college degrees that meet certain quality standards. Academic institutions within the network offer twoway guaranteed transferability, require limited academic residency, and offer a contract-for-degree to protect students from changes to degree requirements over time. These benefits also remain in effect if the member leaves the military before graduating. Degree completion with SOC DNS can save time and money. Become familiar with the system by visiting http://www.soc.aascu.org/.

SOC Career and Technical Education For several career fields in the military, different types of certification are extremely beneficial to professional development, career progression and civilian transition. The SOC Career and Technical Education (CTE) program offers credit-bearing certificate programs in CTE fields with bright employment outlooks for service members on active duty and for those preparing for transition. The CTE program assists military education counselors, academic advisers and service members with identifying CTE pathways to a civilian career with positive growth potential. These certificates can stand alone or can be integrated into associate or bachelor’s degrees offered by the institution. Saving time and money is easy with CTE, more information is available at http://www.soc.aascu.org/ career-and-technical-education.

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No Cost Education Tools DoD Tutoring Services Everyone going to school can use help in one subject or another and tutoring help can be costly.

But that’s not true for eligible service members using the DoD tutoring services. This no-cost tool is accessible online and provides one-to-one, anonymous assistance from an expert staff of teachers and education professionals. Tutoring is offered in 40+ college subjects in all skill levels, on-demand or scheduled, anytime and anywhere there is Internet access. Check out all the advantages of using this great tool by visiting www.tutor.com/military.

Academic Skills Training According to the U.S. Department of Education, about a third of American students require remedial education in reading, writing, and math skills.

Students must have the necessary knowledge and skills in math and English to qualify for and succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing postsecondary coursework or job training without the need for remediation. In the military, strong academic skills are needed to succeed in training and for advancement in every occupational field.

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The Online Academic Skills Course (OASC) is designed to prepare service members for college level coursework, by improving their skills in English and language arts, essay writing, and college level math. Education center personnel may recommend this program to ensure that students are able to successfully place into college level courses and avoid the extra time and tuition costs associated with taking non-credit bearing, developmental courses.

Education center personnel have the ability to receive training as an OASC course administrator.

As an administrator, you can manage students, run reports to see how your students on their installation are progressing through the courses and how they are performing on the pre-assessments, practice sets, and post-assessments. For more information, go to http://www.nelnetsolutions.com/ DantesNet/.

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Troops to Teachers Update

TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES WITH TTT

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opportunities on the TTT website. Here’s how the process works:

roops to Teachers (TTT) was established to assist transitioning service members with meeting the • requirements to begin a new career in teaching.

The goal of the program is to provide every service • member interested in teaching with assistance to transition his or her leadership skills, training and • core values to become a teacher in a K-12 public school.

All current and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces, whose last period of service is characterized as honorable, may participate in the program for counseling services. These services include guidance regarding teacher education and licensing requirements and employment. In addition, financial assistance is available for those who meet eligibility requirements.

Hiring officials post employment opportunities to the TTT website on a daily basis TTT participants find a teaching position that looks interesting and sends an inquiry to TTT TTT specialists determine if the participant meets the basic job requirements and will contact the participant with more information within 3-4 business days

TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES Go to: www.proudtoserveagain.com Click on the “Participants” dropdown menu Select “Teaching Opportunities”

TTT updated its website earlier this year and is continually adding information and resources to help service members, veterans, and active participants find the most up-to-date, relevant information about the program. One of the newest resources available is the “Teaching Opportunities” section.

EMPLOYMENT FACILITATION Employment facilitation is one of the most highly sought-after services that TTT offers. With the help of TTT program specialists at the national office, those seeking employment can now find job

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Troops to Teachers Update The teaching opportunities can be searched by subject and state. If a participant is interested in one of the opportunities listed, more employment details are provided by clicking on the job title.

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f a participant wants to apply, he/she should use the “Quick Message” box to request more information. A TTT program specialist will determine if the participant meets the job requirements and will respond to the inquiry within 3-4 business days. Fill out the “quick message” with the following information: 1.

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Name Email State: select the state where the teaching opportunity is open Select subject: select “Employment facilitation/teaching opportunities” Message: Copy and paste all position details. Provide your best daytime phone number for a TTT specialist to contact you.

We encourage education counselors and personnel throughout the VolEd community to share this new employment facilitation tool available at www.proudtoserveagain.com.

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Education Spotlight Exam Reimbursements: ANTES reimburses test administration fees (only) for the ACT, SAT, GED, GMAT, GRE General, GRE Subject and Praxis Series tests when administered at National and International Test Centers.

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NEW ACT and SAT Reimbursement Policy Reimbursement of the ACT and SAT exams have recently been added to the DANTES Exams Reimbursement Program. Service members are authorized reimbursement of (2) ACTs and (2) SATs, during their time of service, when taken through ACT/SAT National and International Test Centers.

Reimbursement Eligibility The DANTES Exams Reimbursement Center is accessible by service members only. The following items are required to complete all reimbursement processing:

Request. The online request is accessed by going to the DANTES website, www.dantes.doded.mil and selecting “Examinations” and “Reimbursement Eligibility”. Service members are encouraged to read the reimbursement guidance before entering the Exam Reimbursement Center via https://daims. doded.mil/Reimbursements/ReimbursementRegistration.aspx.

Reimbursement is NOT authorized without a copy of the official score report and payment receipt.

In order to SUBMIT the completed form, members must select and agree to the following: • • •

I agree to seek reimbursement within 90 days of the test date I certify the CAC will not expire within 90 days due to separation I agree use of the CAC serves as my digital signature

Reimbursement of funds takes 2-3 weeks for processing. Contact Exams personnel if you have further questions, exams@navy.mil Electronic Reimbursement Request ALL exam reimbursement requests must be submitted through the Electronic Reimbursement DANTES Information Bulletin

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NOTE: Paper-based editions of the DANTES Exams Reimbursement Request are obsolete and no longer accepted. Paper-based reimbursement packages are destroyed locally; they are not returned. http://www.dantes.doded.mil

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Program Updates

Hot News New CLEP Educator Resources

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xplore the new resources and initiatives below to help enhance your CLEP program and encourage more students to start earning college credit with CLEP exams.

New CLEP Digital Toolkit The CLEP digital toolkit includes various resources to help you promote CLEP such as sample academic plans, banner ads, and a student email template.

Free CLEP Professional Development Webinar Series Now through May 25, the College Board is offering free CLEP professional development webinars that feature an overview of the program, key details, valuable resources and more. Register on the CLEP Spring 2017 Professional Development Series page.

These resources, and many more are located at: https://clep.collegeboard.org/develop-yourclep-program/inform-students/resourcesfor-educators.

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Free Online CLEP Courses Modern States Education Alliance now offers 15 free online CLEP courses that provide high-quality instruction in CLEP subjects. The courses, taught by college faculty, are self-paced, so service members can complete them on their own schedule.

Additional subjects will be added over time. Go to https://modernstates.org/course/ for more information.

Free CLEP Exam Guides for DANTES-Funded Candidates Eligible DANTES-funded candidates can now order free exam guides through the CLEP My Account portal. DANTES-funded candidates have the option to either select the exam guide they want, or, if they order a CLEP exam, the corresponding exam guide will be automatically added to their cart.

Share the news with your students. Go to https:// www.collegeboard.org/ for more information.

Free CLEP Exams for U.S. Air Force Civilian Employees U.S. Air Force civilian employees are now able to take CLEP exams at no cost at fully-funded test centers in the U.S. and on-base test centers. For more details, review the DANTES Eligibility Chart, https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/clep/clep-dantes-eligibility-chart. pdf. http://www.dantes.doded.mil

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Program Updates

All DANTES Testing Personnel Must be Registered in DAIMS!

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ANTES Academic Information Management System (DAIMS) is the DANTES Exams Program database; it is mandatory that authorized DANTES Testing Personnel use DAIMS to download the FY17 DEPH and save required documents and forms. DAIMS replaces the TCO portal in order to allow DANTES testing personnel to have access to Test site information and service member data.

In addition, TCO’s will soon have the capability to obtain volume and pass rate reports for their specific test site and branch of service, to include access to the TCO Academic Training course.

In order to access DAIMS, currently appointed DANTES testing personnel must register in DAIMS using their CAC Card, at the following URL: https:// daims.doded.mil. Once registered, DANTES will activate your account and you will then receive an email stating that your account is active. Once your account is active, you can begin to utilize DAIMS.

Publication Ordering Ends March 20

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ANTES annual educational publications ordering process is open and ends Monday, March 20, 2017. This year’s ordering process is a 2-step process requiring initial account registration and approval. Registrations not approved will be researched on a case by case basis. For questions or concerns regarding your account, please email refpubs@navy.mil.

Ordering is CAC-controlled this year: If you do not have a Common Access Card (CAC), please contact refpubs@navy.mil for alternative methods to order materials.

After the ordering process close on March 20, 2017.

Out of cycle publication requests may or may not be supported. All requests will be analyzed against the available budget and adjustments made as required. Your original request quantity may be changed! Once the items are received, they will immediately be shipped to the requesting locations.

Shipping of items should begin in April 2017.

Questions may be directed to DANTES Exams at exams@navy.mil.

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Program Updates

Joint Service Transcript (JST) Webinar Stakeholders Forum

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n March 30, 2017 at 2:00p.m. EST, the Joint Services Transcript (JST) team will be hosting a JST Stakeholders Forum, facilitated by the American Council on Joint Services Education (ACE). This Transcript will be an interactive meeting. The JST Operations team will provide updates and vet potential changes to the JST. Log on to www. acenet.edu/events and click on JST Stakefolders forum to get to the audiocast webinar.

Military Tutor.com Video Available

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ant to know how to use DoD’s FREE tutoring services available to service members and their K-12 family members? A new Tutor.com/military video is available for viewing and addresses your questions.

The video is titled, “How Tutor.com/military Works for Service Members”, available at: https://youtu. be/YE89z0fy2KE. The video walks viewers through establishing an account and using the various tools that are available via the program. If you have any questions, visit www.tutor.com/military.

Website: https://jst.doded.mil Email: jst@doded.mil

NEW! Coming In April!

DANTES’ MyVolEdPath APP The MyVolEdPath mobile application will give a service member more control over their learning path and develop a course that’s right for them - in the palm of their hand, anytime, anywhere.

More information coming in April!

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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

011-49-611-143-544-1230/1210

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

DANTES_Outreach@navy.mil

www.DANTES.DoDed.mil DANTES4Military.Education

DANTES INFORMATION BULLETIN

DANTESpulse.DoDlive.mil

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

The Secretary of the Navy has determined this publication necessary in the transaction of business required by law of the Dept of the Navy.

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