FORT KNOX, Ky. (July 29, 2013) -- If you haven't been to March 2 Success in a while, recent changes have made it worth your while to take another look.
"If you loved March 2 Success before, you really should check it out now," said Tony Castillo, chief of the Army Recruiting Command's G-7/9 Education Division at Fort Knox.
The self-paced online test preparation program sponsored by the Army -- with content developed by Peterson's -- provides materials, videos and competency building in verbal, math and science to help high school students prepare for state required exams and college entrance tests, including SAT, ACT and Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, known as the ASVAB.
The program teaches study skills, offers sample tests and information about the college admission process and financial aid resources.
"It is now more interactive and more engaging, with enhanced technology applications, drag-and-drop activities and more tutoring resources."
The previous version of March 2 Success was a reader-centric program, which is basically an online text book students would read. Research shows that when more senses are incorporated into the learning environment, students retain more of what they are learning, according to Castillo. March 2 Success needed to evolve.
"To provide a resource that's truly relevant and effective for both students and teachers, we had to update March 2 Success to keep pace with technology and the continuous changes in the online education world," Castillo said.
In addition to the technological enhancements, March 2 Success launched two updated courses in June. These interactive courses include lessons, practice tests and short assessments to help students develop their verbal, math and science skills.
-- The improved High School Math and Verbal Skills course features pre-assessments, practice tests and a personalized learning plan for grades 8-10.
-- The College Readiness Online course focuses on improving math and verbal proficiency for students in grades 11-12, which is helpful for required state exams and college entrance tests. This replaced the former State Standardized Test Preparation course.
-- A new addition, the High School Science Hub features lessons and practice tests in earth science, biology, chemistry and physics.
"Educators will love this because it is another avenue to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) curriculum and careers," Castillo said.
All of the curriculum, developed and updated by Peterson's, is the same curriculum on the "in-service ASVAB" used by all the services to help those military members improve their ASVAB scores when applying to military schools or to change their military occupational specialty, according to Castillo.
March 2 Success is still a recruiter's No. 1 education outreach tool to demonstrate the Army's commitment to helping youth succeed in school and life, regardless of their enlistment intent. The program remains free for anyone to use and is available online 24/7 at www.march2success.com. Since 2003, more than 57,000 parents, educators and mentors, and 1.2 million students have registered in March 2 Success. The program continues to average about 14,000 new registrations every month.
Castillo added that registration and usage data is all USAREC tracks in an effort to measure program effectiveness and validate continued funding for the program, which is always a concern in the current fiscally constrained environment.
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