ASVAB Administered To Entire 10th and 11th Grade Classes For First Time In School History

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The announcement came on the loudspeaker at 10:53, normally the end of Mod C/D. “AP Calculus and AP Literature are holding class and {seniors} should report to class, 10th and 11th-grade students who opted out of testing should eat Lunch 1. “Thank you for your patience, we’re trying to make this work — I appreciate it,” said Principal Dwuilt.

Thursday, February 10th marked the first time ever that Avonworth High School administered the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test not just to the small handful of students interested in the military, but every student in 10th and 11th grade.

One factor behind this decision? Sophomores may use this ASVAB score to replace a low Keystone score, and potentially replace any Keystone testing at all. Juniors who had Keystone reporting disrupted by COVID-related changes in 2020-2021 may also be able to use this score. A passing Keystone score is otherwise required for graduation, so the ASVAB could change that.

Although the testing was originally scheduled for Thursday, February 3rd, testing was moved back a week after Winter Storm Landon caused the district to pivot to remote learning and use two FID days February 3rd and 4th.

About half of the faculty served as proctors on Thursday, Feb 10th. Pictured are some of the materials provided by the two ASVAB representatives who were on-site during the test administration.

According to todaysmilitary.com, there are two versions of this standardized test, both created in the late 1960’s:

The enlistment version of the ASVAB is given at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) and is used for recruiting purposes only.
The student testing program, also known as the ASVAB Career Exploration Program (CEP), is used for career exploration and is given in high schools and community colleges, at job corps centers, and at correctional facilities.

“I think it was worth it,” said Hunter Fritz, a sophomore. “I hope that maybe the results will show something that will help place me better in my future.”

Elizabeth Anderson, a junior, agrees that the test could be useful: “I thought it would be nice for people who are thinking about joining the military or aren’t sure which career to go into.”

Not everyone felt the same, however. “The whole thing felt very disorganized,” remarked a junior. “It was like nobody knew what was going on.” Others agreed that it felt like a “waste of time” or that they “didn’t care” because they felt that it did not apply to them. “I feel like they should have told us more before we took it,” commented Erika Valois, a junior.

Many students even chose not to take the test at all through a process called “opting-out.” There were various reasons for this: parental objection, personal beliefs, or just wanting a few extra hours to sleep in. Plenty of people also felt that they were confident in their career path already, and had no need to take the test since they were not interested in working with the military. So what did they do with the extra time? “I just stayed home instead,” said Jessie Reed, a junior who opted out of the ASVAB because of a scheduling conflict with the original test date.

The results of the ASVAB tests are anticipated to be returned within 2-3 weeks of the test date.

Myself alongside fellow juniors Rohini Pillai and Zoe Trexel (from left to right) pictured had elected to opt-out of the ASVAB testing but came to school for various obligations in the morning — some of the only juniors present at school who were not testing.

9th grade Language Arts Teacher Mr. Wells (in middle) monitors 9th-grade students during the start of MOD B. Normally in classes, 9th-grade students were waiting for buses to visit Beattie at the same time as three other local schools.

Mrs. DiNino, a nurse practitioner, came in at 11 am to speak to members of the Health and Medicine Pathway. Unfortunately, since the ASVAB testing ran over the designated time, many members of the pathway were unable to make it to the presentation. However, she provided some insightful knowledge and advice to those considering nursing as a career.