The Veteran Supported Education Service Treatment Manual: VetSEd

Academic History to guide this conversation. As a peer VetSEd provider, you should use
this information gathered during Intake and academic readiness to develop his/her
educational plan. For example, if a Veteran states that math was a problem in high
school, then this could indicate that some math tutoring might be a good idea prior to
taking college placement exams. Another step to take to ensure the Veteran is
academically prepared for college is to locate his/her high school transcript or diploma. If
the Veteran does not have a diploma, it would be a good step for him/her to obtain a
General Education Development (GED) certificate. Information can be found by
searching online for ―GED certificate‖ and your state‘s name.
ii. Placement Exams
Many colleges use placement exams that assess core skills such as Math and English to
determine if the student is ready for college level work. Prospective students may need to
take these tests and obtain a certain score in order to start taking college courses.
Students who score under a certain level may need to take refresher courses in precollege
level Math and English before they are allowed to take college courses for credit.
If this is the case, the Veteran may be eligible for a lower percentage of the GI Bill
benefit because these courses will not count towards their college course load.
Many community colleges offer free practice assessment tests on-line or in computer
centers on campus. Practice assessments offer an opportunity for Veterans to obtain a
realistic look at their skills, identify strengths and current weaknesses, and to then
develop a plan to address those identified weaknesses. Additionally, community college
advisors can meet with Veterans who have completed practice assessments and provide
feedback, if necessary, about ways to further develop their skills, including free online
exercises, workbooks, etc.
Veterans may experience a great deal of anxiety or ambivalence when taking these
placement tests. If a Veteran is anxious, supportive counseling can help put these exams
in perspective and allay any fears that the Veteran may associate with poor performance.
If the Veteran is ambivalent, refer to the core competency on increasing motivation in
Section V of this Training Manual. If certain criteria are met, you may also be able to
secure an accommodation for the Veteran such as untimed testing or test-taking in an
isolated setting.
Irrespective of test outcomes, some Veterans feel they need more help getting
academically ready for school and may want to explore how the Veterans Upward Bound
Program can help them. Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) is a free U.S. Department of
Education program designed to help eligible U.S. military Veterans enter, and succeed in,
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