Career Assessments

1. CareerKey
2. http://www.careerkey.org
3. Career Key is an interest assessment based on John Holland's theory of career choice, referenced in chapter 2. It uses your child's interests to recommend college majors and careers. Career Key is widely used in schools and is also available for purchase by individuals.

1. Gallup StrengthsExplorer
2. https://www.strengths-explorer.com
3. Gallup StrengthsExplorer, referenced in chapter 2, is a strengths assessment designed for children between the ages of 10 and 14. StrengthsExplorer is widely used in schools and is also available for purchase by individuals.

1. O*NET Interest Profiler
2. https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip
3. The U.S. Department of Labor provides free online access to the O*NET Interest Profiler, referenced in chapter 2, at the MyNextMove website.

1. Strengths for Success
2. https://www.humanesources.com/strengths-for-success
3. Strengths for Success is an online resource available for purchase by individuals that helps you and your child to assess personality type as well as work and learning preferences. It provides a detailed report that can be helpful in identifying potential careers.

Academic Resources

1. Khan Academy
2. http://www.khanacademy.org
3. Khan Academy, referenced in chapter 4, is a vast source of free high-quality education videos from elementary school–level all the way through advanced college-level courses. This site can be particularly helpful if your child is in middle school or high school and is struggling with some specific academic concepts.
4. Barbara Oakley. A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science. New York: Penguin, 2014. An excellent primer on how to learn math and science and a hopeful book for anyone struggling with these topics.

Financial Aid Resources

1. FAFSA
2. https://fafsa.ed.gov
3. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, referenced in chapter 12, is a form that every family should submit during the senior year of high school. Once the FAFSA has been submitted to colleges, they can make a determination of the amount of loans, grants, and even scholarship money they are able to offer. This website contains more information about the FAFSA, as well as the application tool.

1. FAFSA4caster
2. https://fafsa.ed.gov/FAFSA/app/f4cForm
3. The FAFSA4caster, referenced in chapter 12, allows families to get a sneak peek at the money they may be eligible for through the FAFSA. It uses tax and other family financial information to simulate the outcome of FAFSA eligibility.

1. Federal Student Aid
2. https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa
3. The website of the Federal Student Aid office provides information about subsidized loans, unsubsidized loans, and grants, along with the many other resources to pay for college are covered in detail at this website. The website shows interest rates and payback requirements for loans.

1. CSS PROFILE
2. https://css.collegeboard.org
3. This tool, referenced in chapter 12, is used for additional financial aid and scholarship consideration by approximately 400 colleges, universities, and scholarship programs. The PROFILE website explains the details of the tool and provides the application and options to submit and pay for the PROFILE.

1. Today's Military
2. http://todaysmilitary.com
3. Today's Military, provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, is a comprehensive look at all of the military options available to students. It provides more details on some of the items covered in chapter 12, including enlistment, ROTC, and military academies and colleges. This website provides step-by-step instructions and links to information on testing, talking with a recruiter, and benefits of each opportunity.

1. Advanced Placement
2. https://apstudent.collegeboard.org
3. Advanced Placement courses are offered at thousands of high schools all over the world. The College Board's AP website explains each of the courses available and provides more information on sending AP scores to colleges and universities.

1. CLEP
2. https://clep.collegeboard.org
3. Many colleges accept CLEP test scores, referenced in chapter 12, for academic credit. The CLEP website provides information on the tests available, colleges that accept CLEP for credit, and registration and test site information.

1. Carol Stack and Ruth Vedvik. Financial Aid Handbook: Getting the Education You Want for the Price You Can Afford. Franklin Lakes, NJ: The Career Press, Inc., 2011.

College Search and Application Resources

1. Naviance
2. https://www.naviance.com
3. Naviance is an online college and career readiness resource used by nearly 12,000 elementary, middle, and high schools. It's available free to students and families, and includes many resources relevant to the topics in this book, including the O*NET Interest Profiler, Gallup StrengthsExplorer, and detailed profiles of every accredited U.S. college and university. Ask your school counselor if Naviance is available to your child.

1. BigFuture
2. https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org
3. BigFuture is a free website from the College Board—the organization that administers the SAT—with extensive resources for students and parents that help you search for colleges, majors, financial aid, and careers.

1. ACT
2. http://actstudent.org
3. The ACT is an assessment taken by many students to be used throughout the college admission process. This website provides information on the subjects in the exam, as well as registration and scoring information. This site also allows student to send their exam scores to additional institutions.

1. SAT
2. https://sat.collegeboard.org
3. The SAT is also an assessment used by colleges through the application process. This website provides more information on registration and the option to send scores to additional colleges. This site also includes a breakdown on the subjects in the exam as well as scoring procedures.

1. Common Application
2. http://commonapp.org
3. The Common Application allows students to send a single application to more than 700 colleges and universities. The Common Application also incorporates online teacher recommendations, counselor recommendations, and transcript delivery to provide a seamless experience for students and high schools.