One In Four Military Applicants Fail Entry Exam

[Formaldehyde]

This is a basic aptitude test which was given to those who had already been prescreened. 75% of the applicants had already been rejected due to not being physically fit, having a criminal record, or did not have a high school diploma.

Here is an example question from today's paper:

Dana receives $30 for her birthday and $15 for cleaning the garage. If she spends $16 on a CD, how much money does she have left?

AP Article.

Educators expressed dismay that so many high school graduates are unable to pass a test of basic skills.

"It's surprising and shocking that we are still having students who are walking across the stage who really don't deserve to be and haven't earned that right," said Tim Callahan with the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, a group that represents more than 80,000 educators.

The study shows wide disparities in scores among white and minority students, similar to racial gaps on other standardized tests. Nearly 40 percent of black students and 30 percent of Hispanics don't pass, compared with 16 percent of whites. The average score for blacks is 38 and for Hispanics is 44, compared to whites' average score of 55.

Tom Loveless, an education expert at the Brookings Institution think tank, said the results echo those on other tests. In 2009, 26 percent of seniors performed below the 'basic' reading level on the National Assessment of Education Progress.

Other tests, like the SAT, look at students who are going to college.

"A lot of people make the charge that in this era of accountability and standardized testing, that we've put too much emphasis on basic skills," Loveless said. "This study really refutes that. We have a lot of kids that graduate from high school who have not mastered basic skills."

The study also found disparities across states, with Wyoming having the lowest ineligibility rate, at 13 percent, and Hawaii having the highest, at 38.3 percent.

Recruits must score at least a 31 out of 99 on the first stage of the three-hour test to get into the Army. The Marines, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard recruits need higher scores.

I think this is further evidence that the US educational system is completely broken. That social promotion still occurs on a widescale basis. That the US is graduating people from high school who don't even have the basic educational skills that everybody should have in order to become moderately successful in a capitalistic society. This is particularly true with minority groups.

What, if anything, do you think should be done about this?

Should all high school graduates be required to pass similar tests with such low bars for performance?

Should the standards be set even higher so that the test is measuring what people who graduate from high school should actually know, instead of questions which those who have a 3rd grade education should be able to ascertain?

And why is Hawaii at the top of the list?

 

[bhsup]

Are you really that surprised? Parents freak out if a teacher dare say or do anything that might make a kid suffer a self-esteem hit. Bring back corporal punishment big time so teachers can start to get a handle on the kids instead of letting them run amok, start holding the kids back when they don't deserve to go forward, and increase phys. ed.

 

[Quackers]

Are military applicants really representitve of the general population?
To paraphase family guy are those applying to the army the bottom 10% of the high school class anyway?

 

[downtown]

Should all high school graduates be required to pass similar tests with such low bars for performance?

They are actually. Since the early 2000s, anybody who wants to graduate HS needs to pass a state graduation exam.

Should the standards be set even higher so that the test is measuring what people who graduate from high school should actually know, instead of questions which those who have a 3rd grade education should be able to ascertain?

What's on the test doesn't matter if you're not going to pair it with the tools and resources needed to teach it. Georgia's HS graduation test and state standards were modeled after Massachusetts (the strongest/hardest in the county), but if that's all you change, it doesn't matter.

And why is Hawaii at the top of the list?

Prob because Hawaii is poor and has crappy public schools. Some districts were going to 4 day weeks last year.

Look, this isn't a surprise to anybody who has ever worked with schools serving impoverished areas. Kids enter school already a year or so behind. They need to be growing at more than 1 grade level per year to catch up to their more affluent peers, and their schools suck. If you only grow at .75 grade levels a year from first-9th grade, you're awfully far behind by HS, and then it's too late.

And if you're going to knock social promotion, you try sticking a 15 year old in a 4th grade class and see what happens.

Why these school suck isn't exactly rocket science....but as a society, we're unwilling to honestly face up to the problem, and do what we need to do it fix it. It's much easier to fire a handful of teachers, bring in some corporate backing and some cultural tourists (look! nice white kids from the ivy league are here to save the day!!!), and declare mission accomplished.

 

[carlosMM]

and I thought they failed for being sufficiently anti-gay...

oh, right, it's not the GOP who's running the US military.

 

[downtown]

Are you really that surprised? Parents freak out if a teacher dare say or do anything that might make a kid suffer a self-esteem hit. Bring back corporal punishment big time so teachers can start to get a handle on the kids instead of letting them run amok, start holding the kids back when they don't deserve to go forward, and increase phys. ed.

Corporal Punishment is still legal, and used, in many southern districts...the states which just so happen to perform the worst.

Teachers paddled at my school. We never smacked anybody into academic achievement.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Are you really that surprised? Parents freak out if a teacher dare say or do anything that might make a kid suffer a self-esteem hit. Bring back corporal punishment big time so teachers can start to get a handle on the kids instead of letting them run amok, start holding the kids back when they don't deserve to go forward, and increase phys. ed.

No, I'm not surprised at all. I've always been claiming this was the case with the current educational system.

And I agree that kids need more discipline in their lives. But I would disagree that spending even more time in non-academic endeavours, such as PE and recess, is the what should be done. I think they clearly need more basic education at the elementary school level followed by more extensive education at the secondary school level.

These high school graduates should be required to solve algebra and trig problems instead of basic addition and subtraction ones. They should be required to be able to communicate effectively enough to participate in forums such as this, instead of being able to read and comprehend at the basic literacy level. With tests such as this, we are essentially asking them if they were capable of graduating from the 6th grade instead of the 12th grade. and still 40% of the blacks could not do so. (Not that the whites fared all that much better on the test. The bar was just set at such a low level so there weren't even more rejections.)

No wonder so many people eventually turn to crime to survive in our capitalistic society...

 

[MobBoss]

Are military applicants really representitve of the general population?
To paraphase family guy are those applying to the army the bottom 10% of the high school class anyway?

Not necessarily. We actually have people across the entire spectrum join the military.

 

[Zelig]

Not necessarily. We actually have people across the entire spectrum join the military.

Obviously.

The important thing is averages.

 

[MobBoss]

Corporal Punishment is still legal, and used, in many southern districts...the states which just so happen to perform the worst.

Teachers paddled at my school. We never smacked anybody into academic achievement.

Do they do worse because of corporal punishment or because of inadequate funding? I think VRWCAgents point may be that those schools could be doing even worse if not for corporal punishment.

 

[downtown]

Do they do worse because of corporal punishment or because of inadequate funding? I think VRWCAgents point may be that those schools could be doing even worse if not for corporal punishment.

I wouldn't say they do worse because of corporal punishment, but I've taught in places where it was used (or expected), and I don't see any real benefit. Smacking a kid around doesn't motivate him to improve anything academically...it might give you temporary compliance, but it breeds resentment...AND sends the message that violence is a way to solve conflict, which is going to torpedo your classroom management. It is exactly the wrong message you want to send to a high poverty classroom.

Schools in the south are terrible because they systematically discriminated against Blacks for so long, and won't take substantive action because that would be socialist or racist. The states are also generally poor, lacking in quality teachers and administrators and social workers.

 

[GamezRule]

Every year, recruiters come to my school and do an entrance exam. Don't be surprised with these numbers, it ain't a walk in the park. I passed with a score of 69. You need a score of 25, I believe. Many people didn't even get that. That's because it's a test you have to study for. The recruiters said that many people fail the test, go home and study, and come back the next week and pass it.

 

[GoodGame]

I think this is further evidence that the US educational system is completely broken. That social promotion still occurs on a widescale basis. That the US is graduating people from high school who don't even have the basic educational skills that everybody should have in order to become moderately successful in a capitalistic society. This is particularly true with minority groups.

I think it's evidence of some weakness in the education system, but not completely broken. I think it is a truth that American society views the US Military as a bit of a "schoolhouse", right or wrong.

 

[galdre]

it's not that hard of a test, unless it's changed a lot in the last 20 years

 

[GamezRule]

Some districts were going to 4 day weeks last year.

That's actually a good thing, they tried it in a district near mine. Of course, Michigan schools are all strapped for cash anyway, but when they tried it, test scores and attendance both went up. Other things improved also, and nothing really deteriorated. My school is seriously considering it for next semester, and if it works, it will be permanent.

 

[GamezRule]

it's not that hard of a test, unless it's changed a lot in the last 20 years

Take it again. It's like the new Michigan Drivers Ed tests.

 

[Zack]

That's actually a good thing, they tried it in a district near mine. Of course, Michigan schools are all strapped for cash anyway, but when they tried it, test scores and attendance both went up. Other things improved also, and nothing really deteriorated. My school is seriously considering it for next semester, and if it works, it will be permanent.

Like teen pregnancy rate?

 

[Shekwan]

I'm surprised its not higher. In my experience there are many intelligent people who join the military, but the majoirity are bottom feeders.

 

[GamezRule]

What does that have to do with a 4 day school week? If teens are gonna get it on, it ain't gonna matter how often they are in school.

 

[Zack]

What does that have to do with a 4 day school week? If teens are gonna get it on, it ain't gonna matter how often they are in school.

If freaking open lunch increases pregnancy rates, an extra day off of school every week certainly will.