The Army Needs To Modify Its System for Measuring Individual Soldier Proficiency
FPCD-82-28
Published: Mar 30, 1982. Publicly Released: Mar 30, 1982.
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Highlights
GAO reviewed whether the Army's Skill Qualification Test Program measures soldier proficiency and identifies individual training needs.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should develop and implement, beginning in fiscal year 1983, a more effective system for measuring individual soldier proficiency and training needs. This system should incorporate separate programs for: (1) assessing individual training needs; and (2) measuring individual proficiency for promotion decisions. More specifically, the program for assessing individual training needs should be tied directly to the Soldiers Manuals and used as a training tool. |
Closed – Implemented
The Army does not concur with the need for a separate program to be used for promotion decisions. Test results are used as a management tool in the Enlisted Personnel Management System. Overall, the Army's actions appear to implement the thrust of this recommendation.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should develop a system in which the Soldiers Manuals, where feasible, include tests which unit-level trainers can use as often as they wish to evaluate individual proficiency in as many tasks as necessary. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should develop a system in which the assessments of individual training needs remain at the unit level to serve as a diagnostic aid. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should develop a system in which unit trainers are held accountable for using tests contained in Soldiers Manuals. |
Closed – Implemented
The Army has revised manuals to include guidelines or checklists for task evaluations which are used by unit trainers.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should develop a system in which any program that measures individual proficiency for use in promotion decisions should apply only to those soldiers eligible for or within the noncommissioned officer ranks. These exams should consist of a written test on randomly selected Soldiers Manual tasks and a hands-on, common-task test. These tests should be offered for a limited period each year, and only those soldiers eligible for promotions should be required to take the test. The specific test questions should not be announced in advance. |
Closed – Implemented
The Army believes that all soldiers should be tested, not just those eligible for promotion. The Army's actions have achieved the primary intent of this recommendation.
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Topics
Army personnelCost analysisEmployee promotionsMilitary trainingPerformance appraisalProgram managementTestingMilitary forcesSchoolsDisabilities