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ASVAB in the news
Military Whitewash Campaign Kills Student Privacy Bill in Connecticut
A bill that would have protected the privacy of Connecticut's schoolchildren was defeated in May largely due to a misinformation campaign by the military recruiting command.
Read More 
"School officials encourage students to take the test under the belief that the purpose of the ASVAB is to assist students in exploring their various career options. We do not object to the administration of the ASVAB test; however, the distribution of the enormous amount of data collected on the ASVAB to military recruiters is a serious infringement on the privacy rights of those students." More ================== 
"By not selecting Option 8 when it administers the ASVAB, the School District is violating not only
statutory rights, it is also violating constitutional rights." L.A. Chapter, 2005. ================= Remember the 4th Amendment! 
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
An illegal search occurs when an expectation of privacy that society considers reasonable is infringed by a governmental employee or by an agent of the government. More 
Child Soldiers International is concerned by a range of American recruitment policies and practices that undermine the safeguards contained in article 3.3 of OPAC, in particular with regards to the voluntary nature of underage recruitment, the right to privacy of children and the requirement of prior consent of parents (or legal guardians). Child Soldiers International is also concerned by the extensive access to schools and students’ information by the US military, which suggests that the US government is pursuing the active recruitment of under-18s.
See discussion beginning on Page 10. More |
New Hampshire Passes
ASVAB Option 8 Law 
The Granite State - "Live free or die."
We're delighted to report that New Hampshire has become the third state to mandate the universal selection of ASVAB Release Option 8 for all public high school students who take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Governor Maggie Hassan (D) signed the measure into law on July 14, 2014.
Requiring the test to be given under Release Option 8 prohibits the general release of 3 hours of test results, detailed demographic information, and social security numbers to military recruiting services without the consent of parents Under the law, which immediately takes effect, schools that allow the military to proctor the test must notify the military representative, parents, and students that Option 8 has been selected. A student (over 18) or a student's parent or guardian may choose to release the student's personal information and ASVAB scores to military recruiters by individually submitting the required forms to the military services authorizing the release of the information. Before the legislation, a child could attend a New Hampshire high school, take the military entrance exam proctored by Department of Defense employees and have all the information sent to military recruiters without parents knowing about it. ASVAB results were the only information leaving the state's schools about children without requiring parental consent. The common-sense legislation sailed through House (18-0) and Senate (5-0) Committees before being passed by consent. See the law here. 
Pentagon Data on Student Testing Program Rife with Errors and Contradictions
Student Privacy Compromised by Massive Program In late December, 2013 the Department of Defense released a database on the military's controversial Student Testing Program in 11,700 high schools across the country. An examination of the complex and contradictory dataset raises serious issues regarding student privacy and the integrity of the Student Testing Program in America's schools The database was released after a protracted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. More 
Best Practices for ASVAB-CEP Administration
This new report from Rutgers Law School on the use of the military's aptitude test (the ASVAB) in high schools makes a compelling case that high school counselors have both legal and professional responsibilities to ensure that student test information is not automatically released to military recruiters. Download and share it widely, especially with your local school counselors, principals, and district officials. DOWNLOAD PDF ASVAB OVERVIEW
 Mandatory military testing is common in American high schools.
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 11,700 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. - Read More 
THE ASVAB CAMPAIGN
The National Coalition to Protect Student Privacy has been working to educate and convince school officials Read 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. | Lt. Col Beveridge's Letter Ms. Eisner's Letter Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich advises Ohio high school students they are not required to take the ASVAB. Although Pentagon data neglects to report mandatory testing in the Buckeye state, the practice is widespread.
State and local school officials are often unaware of the existence of ASVAB Release Options. The selection of Release Option 8 by school officials means test results cannot be used by recruiters for enlistment purposes without parental consent.
State #Tested % Opt. 8 Alabama 19653 3.7 Alaska 2631 6.8 Arizona 19881 0 Arkansas 14684 5.3 California 53836 29.6 Colorado 5525 44.2 Connecticut 3750 43.9 Delaware 1420 1.5 Florida 39063 8.8 Georgia 36246 0 Hawaii 4874 58.9 Idaho 6107 8.0 Illinois 8702 10.2 Indiana 12391 18.8 Iowa 7995 26.4 Kansas 4495 10.8 Kentucky 30527 10.9 Louisiana 12007 5.6 Maine 2887 1.1 Maryland 9933 77.2 Massachusetts 4028 43.5 Michigan 16058 13.8 Minnesota 12459 49.8 Mississippi 16933 1.0 Missouri 27195 2.2 Montana 4523 7.2 Nebraska 8130 34.8 Nevada 5062 4.3 New Hampshire 1175 30.3 New Jersey 6519 18.1 New Mexico 7240 8.8 New York 13333 27.9 North Carolina 19731 13.4 North Dakota 3817 0 Ohio 22168 7.5 Oklahoma 13168 6.8 Oregon 9300 57.2 Pennsylvania 24579 8.9 Rhode Island 548 41.8 South Carolina 15140 20.2 South Dakota 4244 0 Tennessee 20897 3.7 Texas 57003 15.5 Utah 9873 8.6 Vermont 367 49.3 Virginia 13914 12.1 Washington 11417 30.1 Washington, DC 378 0 West Virginia 4019 2.9 Wisconsin 8578 31.3 Wyoming 1340 22.2 U.S. Territories American Samoa 716 12.8 Fed. Micronesia 1457 0 Guam 2527 25.3 Marshall Islands 522 0 Marianas 929 62.1 Puerto Rico 5663 0 Virgin Islands 1269 0 |
State-by-State Snapshot
of ASVAB Testing This spreadsheet with statistics from all 50 states and territories was compiled using data released by the Freedom of Information Office of the Secretary of Defense in December of 2013. DOWNLOAD STATE ASVAB DATA
Click below to access your state’s ASVAB statistics. The database includes the name and location of 11,700 schools administering the test, along with the most current test date, the total of those who took the test, a breakdown by grade, and the release option chosen. Click Here to access your state’s ASVAB data. ================ 
The database was released after a protracted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. It is full of inaccuracies, omissions, and contradictions.
Read more 
The American Public Health Association calls for cessation of ASVAB testing for recruiting purposes.
Nothing in the Recruiter's manual advises recruiters to reveal the risks their prospects face, neither the physical hazards on the battlefield nor the psychological trauma and its aftereffects." More U.N. calls on US to stop mandatory military testing
In 2013 The UN's Committee on the Rights of the Child called on the Obama Administration to "Ensure that schools, parents and pupils are made aware of the voluntary nature of the ASVAB before consenting to the participation into it." More
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The Special Instructions column in the state data corresponds to the release options in USMEPCOM Regulation 601-4, Table 3-1. See the description of the option followed by our comments in italics.
Option 1 Test information is provided to recruiting services no sooner than 7 days after mailed to school. (If a school neglects to select a release option USMEPCOM will select Option 1. Many, if not most school administrators in the country still don't know about ASVAB release options despite our efforts. Option 1 accounts for 53.08% of the total)
Option 2 Test information is provided to recruiting services no sooner than 60 days after mailed to school. (USMEPCOM still receives test results. They can't use the information until the potential recruit turns 18 so the waiting period is inconsequential. Most of the students who take the test are Juniors. Option 2 accounts for 6.34% of the total
Option 3 Test information is provided to recruiting services no sooner than 90 days after mailed to school. (Same as above - Option 3 accounts for 1.37% of the total.)
Option 4 Test information is provided to recruiting services no sooner than 120 days after mailed to school. (Same as above - Option 4 accounts for .74% of the total.)
Option 5 Test information is provided to recruiting services no sooner than the end of the SY for that specific school or 30 June (Same as above - Option 5 accounts for 5.20% of the total.)
Option 6 Test information is provided to recruiting services no sooner than 7 days after mailed to school with instruction that no telephone solicitation by recruiters will be conducted as a result of test information provided. (Recruiters have many other options. Option 6 accounts for 4.67% of the total.)
Option 7 Invalid test results. Student test information is not provided to recruiting services. (This option has become much more popular in the last few years. It is typically associated with testing 10th graders. ASVAB results may be used for enlistment purposes for up to 2 years. - Option 7 accounts for 13.56% of the total. 12,666 11th and 12th graders were also listed as being tested under Option 7.)
Option 8 Access to student test information is not provided to recruiting services. (Option 8 accounts for 15.04% of the total.)
Option 1 Test information is provided to recruiting services no sooner than 7 days after mailed to school. (If a school neglects to select a release option USMEPCOM will select Option 1. Many, if not most school administrators in the country still don't know about ASVAB release options despite our efforts. Option 1 accounts for 53.08% of the total)
Option 2 Test information is provided to recruiting services no sooner than 60 days after mailed to school. (USMEPCOM still receives test results. They can't use the information until the potential recruit turns 18 so the waiting period is inconsequential. Most of the students who take the test are Juniors. Option 2 accounts for 6.34% of the total
Option 3 Test information is provided to recruiting services no sooner than 90 days after mailed to school. (Same as above - Option 3 accounts for 1.37% of the total.)
Option 4 Test information is provided to recruiting services no sooner than 120 days after mailed to school. (Same as above - Option 4 accounts for .74% of the total.)
Option 5 Test information is provided to recruiting services no sooner than the end of the SY for that specific school or 30 June (Same as above - Option 5 accounts for 5.20% of the total.)
Option 6 Test information is provided to recruiting services no sooner than 7 days after mailed to school with instruction that no telephone solicitation by recruiters will be conducted as a result of test information provided. (Recruiters have many other options. Option 6 accounts for 4.67% of the total.)
Option 7 Invalid test results. Student test information is not provided to recruiting services. (This option has become much more popular in the last few years. It is typically associated with testing 10th graders. ASVAB results may be used for enlistment purposes for up to 2 years. - Option 7 accounts for 13.56% of the total. 12,666 11th and 12th graders were also listed as being tested under Option 7.)
Option 8 Access to student test information is not provided to recruiting services. (Option 8 accounts for 15.04% of the total.)
