COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
Articles: Military Recruiting: No Child Left Behind
Oceanside High Students Take Military Recruitment Exam
LOUISE ESOLA, North County Times
November 11, 2005
Hundreds
of Oceanside High students sat down Wednesday morning to take a
military career assessment test given to help students create their
college and career paths.
The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB, is a
three-hour exam given to gauge students' skills and to help them zero
in on types of professions in which they can excel and what professions
they should avoid.
Recruiters, on site Wednesday to help with the exam, use the test as a
way to place recruits in military jobs. Oceanside High officials said,
on the other hand, that they're using the free test as a tool for
students who are uncertain about their career goals and not to funnel
students into military service.
The test was optional ---- either parents could opt their children out
of the test or students could opt themselves out ---- for the school's
sophomores, juniors and seniors.
However, an official with the Encinitas-based Project on Youth and
Non-Military Opportunities, or Project YANO, said he is concerned with
Oceanside High's push for a test that is used for the military.
"I think our concern is that (the ASVAB) is primarily a recruiting tool
for the military, even if the school officials think it is also useful
as an assessment tool for them," said Rick Jahnkow, an official with
Project YANO.
"But that's not what the test is for; it's to screen recruits."
Dayle Mazzerella, a former teacher and school consultant, said students and parents were fully informed of the exam.
"If someone doesn't want to take it then they don't have to," he said.
"We aren't trying to tick anyone off and get too political."
He expected that 1,300 students would take the test, with fewer than
100 opting out. This is the second year the school has offered the
test. Last year 1,120 students took it, he said.
Because the test is used as a military recruitment tool, and results
are made available to recruiters, Mazzerella said some parents opted
their kids out of taking the test. Mazzerella said recruiters can use
the information to contact students, but all a student has to do is
tell the recruiter that they are not interested, he added.
There have been some phone calls from concerned parents, but there hasn't been any big controversy on campus, he said.
To Oceanside High's benefit, it's a free exam that tests students in
several subjects ---- including general science, mathematical
reasoning, word knowledge, paragraph comprehension, electronics, and
automotive information ---- and could point students in the right
direction when it comes to signing up for the right career- and
college-based courses in high school, Mazzerella has said.
The exam is paid for by the Department of Defense.
"Schools can buy aptitude assessments but they can be expensive," he said. "Some cost $200 a test."
The school sent a letter home to parents, informing them that their
child is being asked to take a military-sponsored exam to gauge career
interests and skills. The letter stated that the military may contact
students who are tested, but if a student is not interested in the
service, he or she should decline.
But Jahnkow said the school should have used an opt-in method for
getting students to take the exam, meaning that parents should not have
been given the duty of opting their child out of the exam.
"We don't know how many parents saw that notice," he said. "That's not a fair, safe way of doing this."
Jahnkow said he was also opposed to the school using school hours to give a military-sponsored exam.
As for the test-takers, some interviewed on Wednesday morning said they
were not interested in the military but thought the test would be
useful in deciding on a college major.
"I took it last year and thought it helped," said 17-year-old Loanne
Nguyen, who has applied to San Diego State but is unsure whether to
major in nursing or interior design.
Brittany Moreau, another senior, said she opted out of the test this year because she also took it last year.
"I already know where my strong points are," she said. "I think this is
useful for a lot of people. A lot of them don't know what they are
going to do (after high school)."
Students who did not take the exam were given information on colleges and other work to do. Some did their homework.
Contact staff writer Louise Esola at (760) 901-4151 or lesola@nctimes.com.
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