MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- For some, the thought of going back to schools sounds daunting; especially if the last time you picked up a pen and paper was in high school.
Camp Pendleton’s Joint Education Center in conjunction with a local community college have worked together to create a free program to get you back in the school mindset.
The program is called the Military Academic Skills Program. It is a four-week course designed to improve service members’ competencies in the academic skills of reading, communications, writing and mathematics. The program’s intent is to improve Marines’ test scores needed to get into various Marine Corps programs or college.
According to Marine Administrative Message 571/05, MASP is mandatory for all active duty military students who want to use tuition assistance for the first time but have the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery General Technical score of 99 or below, and failed to achieve a grade 10.2 on the Test of Adult Basic Education.
“(Military Academic Skills Program) is perfect for an individual who has set their eyes on a college education or want to move into a different occupation but don’t have the required GT score,” said Janet Kaemmerling, education services and career specialist, Joint Education Center, Camp Pendleton. “A majority of those who attend the program go on to pursue a college degree or join an officer program.”
To qualify for the program, students must receive consent from their commanding officers and have permissive temporary additional duty orders.
Participants must attend every session and pass exams in mathematics, reading and English to receive a certificate of completion for the class.
There is one remaining session for this year that will be held Oct. 25 through Nov. 19.
For more information on MASP, contact the Joint Education Center at 760-725-6660 or visit http://www.mccscp.com/home/Family-Services/Education.aspx.