ASVAB Improvement Can Increase Perform to Serve Conversion Options

From Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs Office

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) -- Sailors aboard the USS Makin Island (LHD 8) are taking their potential Perform-to-Serve (PTS) rankings into their own hands through Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) improvement courses scheduled to begin March 14.

Makin Island leadership said low ASVAB scores minimize Sailors' conversion options in Perform-to-Serve (PTS)/Fleet Rating Identification Engine (RIDE). To maximize Sailors' rating conversion options, the ship has begun an ASVAB improvement course called the "Makin Island ASVAB Academy."

"Our senior leadership wanted to come up with ways to aid our Sailors in PTS/Fleet RIDE," said Chief Navy Counselor (SW/AW) Jessie Curry, USS Makin Island education service office. "We are always striving to develop our Sailors personally and professionally. Navy College did away with the old instructor-based ASVAB refresher course, it's only online now. After a few focus meetings, the academy was the idea we decided to run with."

Curry said the course improves marketability in PTS/Fleet RIDE, which will allow more Sailors to stay Navy. Additional course benefits include increased math and English proficiency, improved personal and professional development, and potentially increased scores in Navy-wide advancement exams.

"We identify those Sailors who need help during the initial check-in process, the first career development board or through the PTS/Fleet RIDE input," said Curry. "We brought Sailors into our offices who were in danger of being processed out due to PTS/Fleet RIDE, or who we knew had low ASVAB scores and talked to them about the advantages of taking the course."

According to Curry, the ASVAB score is the number-one factor in pursuing another job, "Especially if a Sailor is in a Career Reenlistment Objectives (CREO) three category."

CREO refers to the manning levels for all Navy ratings and is a consideration for Sailors requesting PTS approval. CREO categories are identified in one of three levels:

-CREO 1 rates are undermanned.

-CREO 2 rates are manned at desired levels.

-CREO 3 rates are overmanned.

The command career counselor can help Sailors understand the benefits of reviewing their CREO information and can provide Sailors with guidance throughout the PTS process.

Makin Island's academy is a 14-day course, two-and-a-half hours a day, taught on the ship by officers and chief petty officers. Class participants were Sailors who needed to improve their ASVAB scores to remain competitive and those who wanted to prepare for the Scholastic Assessment Test, a college entrance exam.

"We purchased our course material from a local bookstore," said Master Chief Navy Counselor (SW/AW) John Leavitt, USS Makin Island command master chief. "We started the recruitment process for instructors within our educational services office and with degree-holding officers and chiefs on board. Each instructor was given an opportunity to develop their own curriculum based on their subject matter, and we asked for feedback from the participants to tweak their presentation."

Sailors with low ASVAB scores, particularly in verbal expression (VE), arithmetic reasoning (AR) and word knowledge (WK) are encouraged to enroll. Completion of the course enables them to retake the ASVAB exam, which can better qualify them for conversion to undermanned ratings.

"There isn't an instruction for getting started at this point," said Curry. "We are the first command to offer this course shipboard. Since we've started, other ships have contacted us for course information."

Commands interested in starting an ASVAB academy can reference MILPERSMAN 1236-010 for guidance.