Must Idaho High School Students Take ASVAB Test?
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Pre-released on IdahoFallz MySpace page:
I recently read this story about a couple high school students in Georgia who frustrated military recruiters’ attempts to administer ASVAB tests under the guise of “career placement tests”.
Apparently the two students overheard teachers discussing that the tests would be given the after the weekend, that the students would be told it was a “career placement test”, that it was really the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) military placement test, and that the test was mandatory for all juniors to take. The students put out the word over MySpace that weekend, and handed out informational fliers the following Monday morning.
I have taken the ASVAB as a requirement to my military service. It’s a three-hour standardized test applicable only to military service, so if you have no plans to enter the military then do not bother with it.
The ASVAB is not at all like taking your ACT/SAT test two years before college to get it out of way or just in case you decide to go to college. The ASVAB is administered all the time and the results come back in days, so people only need to take it if they are sure they want to enter the military.
If local teens are being forced to take the ASVAB test, please know that you do not have to do it. There is no law or rule requiring students to take the ASVAB, the ASVAB is a poor indicator or any civilian career aptitudes, and the three hours it takes would be much better spent with lessons or even reading.
Do any Idaho high schools require students to take the ASVAB? What is the alternative activity offered for students who decline to take the ASVAB?
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Comments
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0 Why not! Is everything in America provided by the sweat and blood of someone else? The military is a great place to do what the parents seem to be unable to do and that is teach a kid the values we live by and how we got them. Spoiled rotten little brats raised by former spoiled rotten little brats that whine about everything that passes in front of them!!!!
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0 0 What are they complaining about - they got out of class for 3 hours, right? Have things changed so much since I was in school, or isn’t that pretty much the goal of high school - to spend as little time in class as possible.
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whew, slow day, time to all start commenting again!
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It was not a requirement when I worked in a high school, but it was strongly encouraged because of the career exploration activity that came after the test scores were received. I always told the military people we did not want the different branches roaming around, just the test proctors they sent. You have this right as a school. Students that chose not to take the test had the alternative option of attending class all morning rather than miss AM classes. Needless to say most opted in for the test.
My guess is schools that call it mandatory would have to justify it in a written policy book. There were some athletic eligibility issues from kids coming over from charter schools after school, and they had to prove they had taken some sort of standardized test in the past year and the ASVAB was one we accepted. It’s also free.
In my opinion, the test is somewhat informative if the students actually follow through with the career activity and read about the possible careers, military or not, they scored well on. It was an advantage for several because there is so little time nowadays in high school to focus on career planning with all the other state requirements to be met.
Of course the military uses the info to contact students later if they want, especially the high scorers. But by federal law, any military recruiter could walk into our office and request a list of students, their home address and phone. I tried to fight this but lost. The only way to opt out is the school district is supposed to print a legal notice at the start of each school year about release of student info to certain third parties. If a parent wanted to opt out they had to put something in the file stating so. I never saw anyone take this option in 4 years. This was an Idaho school district.