Dantes information bulletin (6) jun 2018

DIB

JUN

DANTES INFORMATION BULLETIN

2018

Special VolEd Community Edition In this issue: Professional 2 Development Institute Spirit of Service Award

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Academic Skills Training FAQs

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Counselor Corner Hot News

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Troops to Teachers

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Contact Information

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DANTES Information Bulletin

Equipping the VolEd Workforce through Professional Development Taheesha Quarells, Communications Division, DANTES

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he Department of Defense Voluntary Education (DoD VolEd) and DANTES hosted the first annual Professional Development Institute (PDI) June 6-8, 2018, at the DoD Executive Management Training Center, Southbridge Hotel and Conference Center, Southbridge, MA. The PDI supported the DoD VolEd Strategic Plan’s focus on enabling a “Viable Voluntary Education Community”.

The event was designed to

equip installation level VolEd professionals with the skills to best support the Military Services’ efforts to shape, recruit, train, educate and retain a diverse workforce to successfully execute current and future Defense missions.

Based on participant feedback, observation, and interactions with attendees, the first PDI was a successful event!

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Professional Development Institute

The two-day training event featured a total of 14 speakers who delivered 17 training sessions to 184 attendees (education services officers (ESOs), counselors, and headquarters personnel from across the Services). Throughout the event, participants had opportunities to: • Receive updates on DoD VolEd policies, programs, and practices • Gain knowledge from leading industry experts in traditional and emerging fields related to specialized program management and effective guidance counseling • Collaborate on issues impacting the DoD VolEd environment and community • Strengthen and develop joint service partnerships and professional networks Because the PDI was part of the DoD VolEd’s vision to equip its workforce with the tools they need to serve at the installation level, two customized learning tracks were offered. With each session, participants were challenged to translate the new knowledge and skills they were learning into actionable practices regarding education program management and counseling/advising service members. Furthermore, they were encouraged to network and collaborate with other VolEd professionals across the Services.

The PDI featured the following topics: • DoD VolEd updates on realignments, achievements, new initiatives, and fiscal year 2018 priorities • Career counseling tips and tools used during the education and career counseling process • Needs assessment approaches to determine the educational needs of military personnel DANTES Information Bulletin

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Goal setting guidelines for counselors to use when helping service members develop SMART goals Dashboarding/tracking/reporting to account for VolEd programmatic outcomes Financial education principles to help service members develop a practical plan for funding their education Marketing VolEd to increase service member awareness of educational opportunities Increasing awareness on the consumer risks and available protections for service members while pursuing their education Accurately assessing student readiness to ensure members are ready for their college experience and to increase their chances of success Acquisition principles to strategically source on base programs and vendors using fair and open competition http://www.dantes.doded.mil

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Professional Development Institute • • •

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Career coaching concepts to support service members in their career development Navigating and leveraging streamlined tools to support military member college and career planning Ethics principles for counselors and ESOs to correctly navigate ethical dilemmas encountered as stewards of installation education programs Building a foundation for a VolEd community of practice within a digital age

able on the DANTES website under the “Education Counselor” tab at the top of the page http://www. dantes.doded.mil/education-counselors/index. html For those of you who are interested in helping to make sure that next year’s PDI is even better, contact your Service POC to let them know that you would like to serve on the planning committee.

To serve as learning aids and for reference purposes, the following has been posted on the DANTES MilSuite site for all VolEd personnel: • Access to the slides for each presentation • Summaries of each presentation with possible implications for VolEd practices • List of professional associations mentioned throughout the event • Additional handouts and reference material provided by the presenters To access the DANTES MilSuite site, visit https:// www.milsuite.mil/book/groups/defense-activity-for-non-traditional-education-services. It is a CAC enabled site that may require a quick registration/user authentication. This link is also avail-

DANTES Information Bulletin

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Professional Development Institute

STRENGTHENING THE VOLED COMMUNITY

STAY CONNECTED. STAY INFORMED! DANTES Information Bulletin

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Spirit of Service Award

In May 2018, as part of the Defense Department’s Public Service Recognition Week, 26 employees were honored with the 2018 Spirit of Service Award. The award recognized Defense personnel for their outstanding performance during the previous year. “You’re truly inspiring in the work you do and taught me the meaning of devotion,” Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan told the honorees at the ceremony.

USMC Education Officer credits Listening, Outreach and Education to Award

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oD VolEd’s own, Samuel Bagwell is one of this year’s award recipients. Bagwell is a retired Marine Corps senior non-commissioned officer (NCO). He is also the Personal and Professional Development Branch Manager and Education Officer for Marine Corps Community Services, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia.

have to listen first. That means anyone who walks into your office. I think that’s one of my strengths because I’m willing to listen. And then I can better assist them by knowing exactly what their goals are and what they want to accomplish.”

When asked about the award, Bagwell humbly responded, “I was simply doing my job.”

Bagwell serves as both the education officer and test control officer, as well as managing four other programs involving personal financial management, information referral, transition services, and personal and professional development (with nine staff members). His office interacts with Marines at all levels from new Marines to commanding officers and senior NCOs. The programs he is responsible for touch the lives of every Marine coming through the NCR, more than 20,000 annually, “We have the opportunity and the ability to change lives and to advance Marines in their careers through our programs.”

Bagwell said a key to doing his job and providing the best services possible is listening, “You always DANTES Information Bulletin

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Spirit of Service Award When asked to share some encouraging words with other education counselors and professionals, again he humbly said, “I really don’t want to sound like I am bragging.” But he’s been going to school ever since he became an education officer. Bagwell has a Bachelors, 3 Masters degrees and he’s working on his doctorate. He explained, “Being in this field, I had to be either equivalent or just a step higher than those I’m serving. I feel that you can’t talk about your profession unless you really live it.”

For more information on the Spirit of Service Award check out: https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1518243/spirit-of-service-award-ceremony-honors-26-civilian-employees/?source=GovDelivery

Bagwell is big on outreach too, “We started stepping up outreach for our service members to show that they don’t have to drive to us.” He meets with command leadership regularly to discuss improving programs and the quality of life for Marines. His base transition program is recognized nationally with officers coming in from all over to attend. His office also went from doing monthly Welcome Aboard classes to weekly classes and doubled attendee numbers. Tuition Assistance (TA) briefs and Transition Readiness Seminars (TRS) are his office’s #1 and #2 services.

The award also looked at community service.

As the Chapter President for the Omicron Alpha Lambda of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Bagwell also puts a noticeable amount of effort into his community. He is the top fundraiser and chairperson with the March of Dimes for the Stafford and Fredericksburg counties in Virginia. He works with local Feed the Homeless chapters and he supports and participates in an annual Walk for Teen Violence. Bagwell is also an active member of a local mentor program, the Go Getters Goal Getters, or G-4, which works with young men up to the 8th grade on every aspect of life.

DANTES Information Bulletin

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Academic Skills Training FAQs

ANSWERS TO ACADEMIC SKILLS TRAINING QUESTIONS

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n the military, strong academic skills are needed to succeed in training and for advancement in every occupational field. The Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Education (VolEd) Program, offers online, self-paced, academic skills training courses to improve a member’s math and communication skills. The Online Academic Skills Course (OASC) and College Placement Skills Training (CPST) are designed for individuals who want and need to build their reading comprehension, vocabulary, and math skills to pass exams, excel in their jobs, advance their careers, or continue their education.

Q. What is the Online Academic Skills Course (OASC)?

A. This course provides military students with fundamental math and verbal skills improvement.

Q. How much time does an individual need to dedicate to the OASC course?

A. The time needed to complete the course varies based on the goals of each individual and the skill level with which he or she begins the course. The lessons for each course contain 20-minute segments on a variety of related topics. OASC allows students the flexibility to complete as few or as many segments as they would like each time they log on so they can complete the course at a pace that works best for them. On average, it takes 20 to 30 hours to complete the Pre- and Post-Assessments, all of the lessons in the full Learning Path, and all of the quizzes and practice sets.

DANTES Information Bulletin

Q. What is College Placement Skills Training

(CPST)?

A. CPST is designed to prepare members for college level coursework with 116 available lessons. The goal of CPST is to ensure that students are able to successfully place into college level math and English courses and avoid the extra time and tuition costs associated with taking non-credit bearing, developmental courses.

Q. Are OASC and CPST the same?

A. OASC and CPST are two different courses with one registration. Although they are separate courses, they have the same design. Both courses offer pre-assessments to determine a student’s strengths and weaknesses. The courses are self-paced and customized according to answers on the pre-asessment. Personalized learning paths are designed for each student with lessons that specifically address their weaknesses. Students may choose an abbreviated review with shortened lessons or add to their customized lesson path.

Q. Who is eligible and how much does it cost?

A. Both OASC and CPST courses are available at no cost to all active duty, National Guard, and Reserve military members (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard). Users have the ability to take both courses with the same login and they can return and access the course at any time. For more information, go to: http://www.dantes.doded.mil/ service-members/prep-for-college/oasc-cpst. html http://www.dantes.doded.mil

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COUNSELOR CORNER

There are a variety of tools and promotional material available to help education center personnel understand, use, and promote OASC and CPST at http://www.nelnetsolutions.com/ DantesNet/prommat.aspx?sponsor=12894 or click on the pictures below

OASC Update!

OASC now has professional math remedial videos. All math courses in OASC have an additional visual tutorial to assist with understanding each course concept. Log in to OASC to view the video at http://www.nelnetsolutions.com/ DantesNet/default.aspx?sponsor=62518&testid=203&pcom=true

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Program Updates

Hot News What’s New with DSST?

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SST continues its commitment to service members’ education and has undergone several changes recently: •

New Exam Titles Coming Soon!! – This summer, DSST will add two new exam titles to its portfolio of offerings to service members: Physical Geology and Ethics in Technology. Both titles were reviewed by the American Council on Education (A.C.E.) and official credit hours will be confirmed. Upon review, both titles will be available later this summer.

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30 Day Retake Policy - Effective immediately, the DSST exam retake policy changes from 90 days to 30! This means that with this change, service members can retake a failed exam 60 days sooner and accelerate their degree faster with DSST!

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Free Practice Exams - DSST now offers free practice exams! We know that test preparation is key in being successful on your DSST exams.

Service members can now access practice tests online for free. These practice tests consist of former and retired questions designed to give the test taker an overall look and feel of the exam!

DANTES Information Bulletin

For more information, go to: https://getcollegecredit.com/dsst_practice_exam

What’s New with OASC/CPST?

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EW ASVAB Diagnostic Tool via OASC: There is now an ASVAB diagnostic tool available for service members on the Online Academic Skills Course (OASC) website, http://www. nelnetsolutions.com/DantesNet/. The ASVAB diagnostic tool evaluates the member’s strengths and weaknesses on the ASVAB and analyzes their results according to the subject area and question difficulty level. It gives a refresher test on topics included in the ASVAB (AFQT/AFCT).

It is not an IQ test, but the ASVAB does help the military Services assess which jobs a military member is best suited to perform. Members must be logged into the OASC site to access the ASVAB tool.

Military education and career counselors needing marketing items on the OASC/CPST programs can contact refpubs@navy.mil.

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Troops to Teachers

MORE LOCAL HELP he Troops to Teachers (TTT) Program Office is pleased to announce that 11 states and 2 consortia of states have received grants to help eligible and former members of the armed forces become K-12 public school teachers. Through these grants, a total of 23 states will begin projects designed to assist military members and veterans in exploring and selecting the best pathway to obtain employment as teachers. These projects will offer guidance on traditional and alternative teacher licensure programs, résumé writing, job search tools, and other employment support activities to veterans and military members who are within one year of exiting the military.

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TTT is a military transition program within the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES). In conjunction with the Defense Human Resources Activity (DHRA), DANTES released a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) on October 19, 2017, under the authorizing statute in 10 USC 1154(h) (2) (A), which permits the Secretary of Defense to make grants to states or consortia of such states in order to support efforts of recruiting eligible current and former members of the armed forces for participation in the Troops to Teachers program and facilitating the employment of parDANTES Information Bulletin

ticipants as elementary school teachers, secondary school teachers, and career or technical teachers.

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 grant was awarded in May 2018 for a 5-year period.

STATES AWARDED The TTT program awarded grants to the following states with consortia states following: • Arizona • Colorado - (consortia) with New Mexico • Connecticut • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Montana - (consortia) with Alaska, Idaho, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming • New York • North Carolina • Oklahoma • Pennsylvania • Texas • Virginia In an effort to broaden the program to additional states, a second grant announcement was released and awards are being determined at this time.

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Troops to Teachers Highlight GRANT GOALS

Based on grant guidance, the grant goals include, but are not limited to: • Attract and increase the number of eligible current and former members of the armed forces participating in the TTT Program • Reduce barriers that prevent veterans from meeting teacher certifications requirements for transitioning into teaching careers • Provide individualized counseling to assist TTT participants with meeting the educational and certification requirements to transition into a teaching career • Support state and local education agencies with hiring motivated, experienced and dedicated eligible members and former members of the armed forces; thereby, increasing the number of veterans employed as teachers • Address geographic areas with critical teacher shortages, especially in high-need schools (as defined in subsection (a) of such section 1154), in particular the shortage of science, mathematics, special education, foreign language, or career or technical teachers; and in elementary schools or secondary schools, or as career or technical teachers

DANTES Information Bulletin

PROGRAM BACKGROUND

Troops to Teachers was established in 1993 to help transitioning military members and veterans in beginning new careers as K-12 school teachers in public, charter, and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools. The program provides counseling and referral services for participants to help them meet education and licensing requirements to teach and subsequently helps them secure a teaching position. Since 1993, more than 20,000 veterans have successfully transitioned to a career in education.

The TTT program office, located in Pensacola, FL., is responsible for counseling participants located in the 27 states not covered by the grant state offices.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information on the TTT program, call 800-231-6242, email ttt@navy.mil or visit the TTT website at https://proudtoserveagain.com/.

The website offers a list of teaching opportunities available to participants and a list of recruiting and other types of program events.

You can also find more information and articles on TTT social media platforms including: - Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn

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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

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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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