Poor Design and Management Hamper Army's Basic Skills Education Program
FPCD-83-19
Published: Jun 20, 1983. Publicly Released: Jun 20, 1983.
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Highlights
GAO reviewed the Army's basic skills education program to evaluate whether the program: (1) was properly designed to determine the basic skills needed to do Army jobs; and (2) is being effectively implemented at initial entry training bases and permanent duty stations.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should defer renewals of all contracts for basic skills education at installations until the program is revised. |
The Department of Defense (DOD) believes that deferral of contracts, in view of the Army's corrective actions, would be harmful to the overall program.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should, where feasible, offer basic skills education being given under current contracts only during off-duty hours. |
DOD is redesigning the Basic Skills Education Program into the Job Skills Education Program, which it reports is job related. The DOD action satisfies the intent of this recommendation.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should clearly define the specific basic skills required to do each military job. |
The RCA Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) Baseline Skills Analysis identified the prerequisite skills for 94 high-density MOS and analyzed tasks required for job competency.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should determine whether the desired skills are attainable, given expected time and resource constraints and the expected reading and math skills of future Army recruits. |
The Army made a determination that job-related, MOS-specific competencies are attainable.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should develop a program which raises soldiers' basic levels to meet job needs. |
The Army identified the prerequisite competencies for 94 high-density MOS and analyzed the tasks required. Moveover, it developed a curriculum to remediate identified deficiencies.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should centralize management so that all installations are operating the program in the same manner. |
It is the DOD position that the commanders must retain the flexibility to determine course entry procedures, instructional methodology, scheduling to fit mission requirements, and other details of program micromanagement. The Army currently provides a standardized statement of work, curriculum, and reporting and evaluation criteria.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should require and provide training only for those who need basic skills education to perform Army jobs. |
The Army provided policy guidance on selection criteria, but it believes that commanders must have the flexibility to schedule and select participants in a manner compatible with installation mission requirements.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should establish a monitoring system to track, measure, and report program effectiveness. |
The Army Research Institute developed a monitoring system, a data collection and analysis system, and other evaluation criteria that clearly relate to program effectiveness. These systems were implemented in March 1987.
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Army personnelCompensatory educationEducation program evaluationMilitary trainingProgram abusesMilitary forcesLiteracyBasic skillsResearch and developmentParticipation rates