Testing, Testing
Written by Barry Nelson
DANTES was established in July 1974. The DANTES mission is to support off-duty voluntary education programs of the Department of Defense. A major component of the DANTES mission is the DANTES Academic Examination Program.
Through multiple contracts with testing agencies, DANTES sponsors a wide range of examinations to help servicemembers meet their educational goals. These examinations are administered on more than 500 military installations by the DANTEStrained test control officer (TCO), who is normally the education services officer or education specialist for the military installation.
Each year, over 160,000 DANTES-sponsored examinations are administered by DANTES TCOs. Most of the DANTES-sponsored exams are fully funded for active duty, reserve, National Guard and Coast Guard personnel. At overseas DANTES test sites, many exams can be administered on an unfunded basis to military family members, retired military and government employees.
Of the 160,000 tests administered yearly, nearly 85 percent of these are credit-by-exam tests. Each year, due to successful testing, over 260,000 recommended credits are available to active duty military personnel to use toward college degrees. In fiscal year 2008, these credits represented a total savings of $49 million for DoD, assuming servicemembers used their service-funded tuition assistance to pay for their courses.
The DANTES-sponsored academic examinations include the General Educational Development (GED) test, three types of credit-by-examination tests and six college or program entrance examinations.
GED TEST
The GED test is taken by servicemembers who have not completed their formal high school education and want to earn an equivalency credential. Each battery of the GED test covers five academic areas: writing skills with an essay component; social studies; science; interpreting literature and the arts; and mathematics.
GED tests are provided at no cost to military servicemembers at DANTES test sites overseas and in all states except Alabama, Missouri and North Carolina. Successful completion of a pretest is required before military examinees are administered the actual GED test battery.
CREDIT-BY-EXAMINATION
Three credit-by-examination tests are available at most DANTES test sites: the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) General and Subject Examinations; DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSSTs); and Excelsior College Examinations (ECE).
The purpose of these credit-by-exam tests is to allow individuals to receive credit for learning that has been attained outside the traditional college or university setting. All of the tests are nationally recognized. These tests have all been evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE) and have been awarded recommended college credits that are accepted in place of courses by numerous colleges. The credit recommendations vary based on the level of knowledge being measured.
A wide variety of topics are available covering subject matter typically taught in undergraduate-level courses. Some tests are used not only for equivalent college credit, but also to meet employment, professional licensure or teacher certification requirements. Most tests are multiple-choice, though some are entirely essay. Overviews, exam descriptions and study materials are available at the DANTES test sites and online at the test agency Websites.
DANTES test sites may administer the CLEP and DSST tests in either paper or computer format. The ECE test is available in either paper or on computer, and while the majority of DANTES test sites offer the ECE on paper, DANTES expects to see many more computer offerings in the future.
COLLEGE OR PROGRAM ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS
Six college or program entrance examinations are available at many DANTES test sites: SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, Praxis and LSAT. The SAT and ACT are required by many colleges for undergraduate admission. Either or both the GRE General or GRE Subject exams are required by many colleges and universities for admission to graduate programs. The GMAT is required by some colleges and universities for entry into graduate business or management programs.
Praxis is used by some states for initial teacher certification and also by some institutions for entry into or exit from teacher education programs. The LSAT is required by most colleges or universities for entry into a law degree program. DANTES funds one GRE General, GRE Subject, GMAT, Praxis Pre-Professional Skills Tests, Praxis Core Battery and Praxis Specialty Area exam per lifetime for eligible military personnel. The LSAT is not funded by DANTES.
Some of these exams are delivered by computer and available only at national test centers (NTCs). For these exams, DANTES reimburses eligible military members.
The current trend in the DANTES Academic Examination Program is computer-based testing through base-sponsored academic institutions hosting NTCs. While many DANTES TCOs do administer paper exams, DANTES recently increased the number of NTCs offering CLEP and DSST examinations. Today there are more than 100 base-sponsored NTCs on military installations worldwide. Computer-based testing reduces administrative work associated with paper-based test administration and improves test security, and servicemembers appreciate the immediate scoring of the computer exams.
At the base-sponsored NTC, the academic institution is responsible for providing staff, computers, technical support and Internet connection. If located on a military installation, the base provides the space for the computer lab. It is a win-win situation for institutions if they already have a computer lab on or near the base, as it maximizes the use of computers and generates funding to maintain and operate their facilities. DANTES fully funds servicemembers’ testing at basesponsored NTCs.
It is easy to understand why the majority of tests administered at DANTES test sites are the credit-byexam tests. Military servicemembers realize the benefit of having access to tests that provide recognition of their college-level learning acquired in non-campus settings.
Servicemembers find these tests are invaluable to acquire college credits. Often, servicemembers are assigned to locations where attending classes or even taking Internet-based courses is not possible. But with study materials, servicemembers can learn subject matter and successfully demonstrate knowledge by passing an exam. Credit-by-exams save both servicemember and taxpayer dollars.
With over 30 years of operating DANTES test sites worldwide, military personnel have used them to advance their education status, qualify to enter undergraduate and graduate programs, and compile numerous college credits to complete degrees. The benefits of testing at worldwide locations are immeasurable.
Additional information about DANTES academic examination programs, including a list of base-sponsored NTCs, may be found at www.dantes.doded.mil. ♦
Barry Nelson is the DANTES examination program manager.