Photo By Maj. Alun Thomas | Regan Mendina-Pellow, education services officer, Phoenix Recruiting Battalion, poses...... read more read more
PHOENIX – Upon entering the military one of the most critical tasks any recruit will undertake is the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test.
The ASVAB determines what military occupational specialty a Soldier will possibly excel at and is undertaken by more than a million people yearly, including a multitude of high school students.
It consists of various sections, including mathematics, paragraph comprehension, general science and word knowledge among others.
Regan Mendina-Pellow, education services officer, Phoenix Recruiting Battalion, is tasked with assisting Arizona and New Mexico based high school students in administering the ASVAB and guiding them on the path to success.
Pellow said she ensures the schools meet proper requirements before she begins working with them.
“I look at the schools and find out if they’re accredited, what type of curriculum they use and if they’ve fulfilled state requirements for graduation in both states,” Pellow said. “I go out into the schools and talk to administrators and students alike. The recruiters let me know what they need out in the field and I step up and provide that information and resources to them.”
Pellow said the ASVAB is an aptitude assessment which is intended for military entrance, but has expanded over the years to include a variety of career fields.
“It’s not just for military career fields,” Pellow said. “The military just happens to be a portion of it. We want to make sure kids have choices when they’re taking the ASVAB.”
Pellow explained how the test is conducted, which to this day remains standardized and basic.
“The ASVAB takes about three hours to do and is usually the pencil and paper method,” she said. “There’s eight sections they have to complete.
"It’s part of a traditional, standardized test where everyone starts at the same time and finish the portion before time is called. Then they move on to the next section.”
There is a new version of the ASVAB looming, Pellow said, the Computer Adaptive Test-ASVAB, which simplifies much of the traditional test.
“The CAT-ASVAB IS a computer based test that will adapt to the student’s strengths and weaknesses as they answer the questions,” Pellow continued. “It’s nice because it doesn’t take the full three hours and it assesses the student’s skill much more effectively. It’s an hour and a half long and still in the testing phase right now. We’ve tried it in a few schools however and it’s been well received so far.”
Pellow said schools are chosen to take the ASVAB based on their level of interest and participation.
“It’s really what school wants to utilize the ASVAB. I know they like to see at least 10 students, usually in the larger schools, or schools with interest in the ASVAB,” she explained. “The cost is paid for through our taxes. There’s no cost to the school.”
After taking the ASVAB the results are sent out to the school counselor, who then works with Pellow and the individual student to analyze potential career avenues.
“The results are mailed out with their test score sheets to the school counselor, who will then schedule a Career Exploration Piece, which is essential from my perspective as someone with a psychology background,” Pellow said. “It’s critical to them understanding their scores and applying the information to be successful.”
The ongoing evolution of the ASVAB makes it increasingly easier for students to gauge their own level of performance and future direction, Pellow said.
“The ASVAB program has really changed over the last few years. Even in the last 6 months there’s been an explosion of online information,” she explained. “A student can take their score, along with the access code on the corner of their test, and access all their assessments, scholarships, resume writing, salary information, all online. It’s just phenomenal.”
The score sheet is broken down into the 8 testable sections, where the results are used for comparison, Pellow said.
“The ASVAB is broken down into several sections, which include, verbal, mathematics and science and technology. Each one of those scores are recorded on there for the student, and ultimately they will be compared to other students, by age, gender and score.”
“There’s also a standard score they’re looking for to get into the military. Each service has a different cut off point for entrance,” Pellow said. “For the U.S. Army the minimum is 31.”
The number of students taking the test yearly in Pellow’s area of interest is considerable, she explained.
“I know we work with up to 12,000 students every year. It’s not unusual to have up to 800 students at one high school,” Pellow said. “We will have schools with non-stop classes all day doing ASVAB interpretations. It ranges quite a bit.”
“The focus is on juniors and seniors. They’re the scores that count. But sophomores can be tested as well, purely from a practice standpoint. The scores don’t count, but we can do a career exploration with them,” she continued.
Tracking the progress of those taking the ASVAB can be challenging, but is slowly taking shape, Pellow said.
“This is all somewhat new with the ASVAB explosion online. We’re trying to get the state of Arizona to track where they’re going, who is enlisting, who is going into college and who dropped out after 2 years,” she said. “We’re hoping that the ASVAB becomes mandatory as part of school grading and is made an exit exam as well.”
| Date Taken: | 02.22.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 02.22.2017 17:32 |
| Story ID: | 224360 |
| Location: | PHOENIX, AZ, US |
| Web Views: | 219 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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