For the fifth consecutive year, eKnowledge is donating $200 SAT and ACT college test programs to military servicemembers and their families.

The donation program is an alliance with the Department of Defense, and supported by a group of patriotic NFL and MLB players, including Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves and Kevin Youkilis of the Boston Red Sox.

eKnowledge, a provider of interactive learning software, has distributed more than 143,000 DVDs with a value of more than $31 million since the program debuted in 2005.

"We're very proud of our men and women in uniform and appreciate their tremendous sacrifice for our country," Charlie Beall, chairman and CEO of eKnowledge Corporation said in a release. "We want to ensure that our military families have the support they deserve with their continuing education requirements."

Beall, a former Marine who served during the Vietnam era as a second lieutenant, said he has sympathy for servicemembers whose income might be strained by $300 or $400 price tags attached to premium test-prep products.

"A sergeant in the Air Force stationed in Singapore who's got a couple of teenage kids that are getting ready to go to college can't afford $400 or $500 apiece for these test-preparation products," Beall told American Forces Press Service when the partnership was announced. "A lot of these folks have children in the JROTC program, so they're going to have help with tuition because they're going to go to school on ROTC scholarships.

"But that doesn't help them financially with their ACT and SAT test preparation, which ultimately is going to have an influence on which schools they can go to," he said.

SAT and ACT exam scores often weigh heavily in college admission judgments and can tip the scales toward an applicant's acceptance or rejection. Beall estimates students improve their scores 30 to 40 percent when they prepare with eKnowledge products, compared to those who don't use a premium-prep program.

Eligible recipients include servicemembers from all branches of the military who are active duty, reserve, National Guard, retired, JROTC, veterans, DoD employees, civilians performing military support and family members of each group.

After going through the registration process at www.eknowledge.com/usa, families just have to pay the shipping and handling and can receive the Standard PowerPrep DVD course (which retails for $200). Or they can choose the Premium PowerPrep (retail: $300) for $50 or the Combo Premium PowerPrep course (retail: $600) and pay $75.

eKnowledge's online, CD and DVD interactive learning programs range from SAT, ACT, LSAT and other Test Prep courses, to diagnostic, teaching and learning tools for business, education and other institutions.

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