Academic Skills Testing (AST)

The goal of this requirement is to continue the Defense Department's capacity to deliver Academic Skills Training (AST) designed for Service members needing to improve their academic readiness for the purposes of college-level course placement, qualification for reclassification or advance training, and military advancement. The evidence concerning college and career readiness shows clearly that the knowledge, skills, and practices important for readiness include a great deal of mathematics, English language arts, science, critical thinking, and various self-directed behaviors. This requires a commercially available, computer adaptive, asynchronous web-based course that improves cognitive (i.e. math, English, science, etc.), metacognitive, and non- cognitive academic skills from basic through pre-college level learning to support Service member learning across the military lifecycle. The course shall be a student success tool that identifies Service member knowledge and skill gaps in academic areas and creates a personalized learning path that empowers students to address their individual academic needs. The course shall include instructional modules arranged into customized learning pathways; a range of diagnostic, formative, interim, and summative assessments; and integration of video tutorials.

The web-based course shall be available online, 24/7, 365 days per year and fully accessible to Service members located worldwide with unrestricted usage for all active, reserve, and National Guard military members (Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard). Provisions shall accommodate Service member access in remote locations via a mobile app that can operate with limited connectivity (i.e. previous provisions included courseware on a downloadable CD for offline usage for spaces that are classified).

Specific learner support methods shall accompany the web-based course. Leamer supports include a proactive early warning and response system to support course engagement and progression and course mentor support for ad hoc remediation or skill enforcement. The program shall provide ongoing student awareness of their progression throughout the course and an electronic/printable certificate of completion that the student can provide to their Services. VolEd workforce support includes availability of learning modules to support Service-specific face-to-face instruction; job aids and professional development support for AST; and administrator access with standard and ad hoc reports on learner engagement and progression.

The Contractor shall leverage the multidisciplinary best and emerging practices from across developmental education, learning science, computer adaptive learning, and postsecondary education preparation to provide technical and management support.