The National Coalition to Protect Student Privacy works to prohibit the automatic release of student information to military recruiting services gathered through the administration of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) Career Exploration Program in high schools across the country.

ASVAB OVERVIEW

The ASVAB is the military's entrance exam that is given to fresh recruits to determine their aptitude for various military occupations. The test is also used as a recruiting tool in 12,000 high schools across the country. The 4 hour test is used by military recruiting services to gain sensitive, personal information on more than 660,000 high school students across the country every year, the vast majority of whom are under the age of 18. Students typically are given the test at school without parental knowledge or consent. The school-based ASVAB Career Exploration Program is among the military's most effective recruiting tools. More.

THE ASVAB CAMPAIGN

Although the National Coalition to Protect Student Privacy is a new organization, many of our members across the country have been working to educate and convince school officials since 2005. More.

 

The ASVAB is Required in more than a Thousand Schools

The invasion of student privacy associated with ASVAB testing in the high schools has been well documented by mainstream media sources, from USA Today to NPR News. The practice of mandatory testing, however, has received scant mainstream media attention. More.

The Colonel vs. The PTA 

The debate in Maryland’s General Assembly over the passage of the Option 8 legislation is best understood by examining the testimony of  Lt. Col. Christopher Beveridge, Commander, 12th Battalion, U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command, the state’s top military recruiter, and Ms. Merry Eisner, President of the Maryland Parent Teacher Association. Lt. Col. Beveridge opposed the universal selection of Option 8, arguing that the military, not parents, should ultimately decide on the release of student information gathered through the administration of the ASVAB.  Ms. Eisner testified that parents should make these decisions.  The legislation carried.