Beginning this month, the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion of Tampa, Florida, is slated to kick off the Academic Development for U.S. Army Applicants Pilot Program.
The program’s goal is to assist applicants in developing the basic skills required to be successful on the Department of Defense’s Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery prior to enlistment and to meet academic standards to pass the Armed Forces Qualification Test.
“Its primary purpose is to raise applicants’ aptitude and readiness prior to career selection and training,” said Dr. Agnes Gereben Schaefer, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower & Reserve Affairs. “Potential active-duty and Army Reserve recruits will be given the opportunity for academic development to prepare them for success as future Soldiers.”
Participants in the ADAP Program will receive academic instruction to develop basic skills for a maximum of 12 weeks prior to contracting with the Army. The pilot will use four instruction tracks for the purpose of comparison, allowing the Army to assess the effectiveness of pre-enlistment basic-skills development for new Soldiers.
Tracks 1 and 2 will feature virtual, instructor-led content; Track 3 consists of the DOD-program “March 2 Success” with recruiter monitoring, and Track 4 will have self-paced content through M2S. Each of the four pilot cohorts will be capped at 30 participants.
M2S is a free, no obligation DoD-approved interactive, online tutorial program that includes customized lessons in math, English and science concepts. The content will support student performance on standardized tests such as state exit exams, college entrance exams and the military entrance exam – the ASVAB. Each unit will start with a pre-assessment test and will develop a customized learning path based on results from the assessment. The program includes a repository of interactive lessons and quizzes and culminates with a post-assessment to provide each student with direct feedback.
“The Army is providing additional opportunities for potential recruits to improve their math skills, language arts, and general test-taking skills prior to enlistment. These key skills increase potential for recruits to achieve AFQT scores that meet or exceed the Army’s desired accessions standard,” said Lt. Gen. Maria Gervais, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command deputy commanding general and chief of staff.
Currently, only applicants for enlistment into the Army residing in the Tampa Recruiting Battalion area of responsibility are eligible to participate in this pilot program. These individuals must also possess a high school diploma or equivalent education credential and must score between 10-30 on the ASVAB through the AFQT Predictor Test. Personnel who require a waiver for major misconduct or need to attend English as a Second Language training are not eligible.
The ADAP Program is not the same as the Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course.
According to Gervais, the main difference between the two programs is that ADAP instruction occurs prior to enlistment, and FSPC occurs after enlistment. ADAP only consists of academic instruction, whereas FSPC has both academic and fitness tracks coupled with a whole person assessment which occurs throughout FSPC. Finally, ADAP delivers academic instruction virtually across four tracks, while FSPC involves in-person instruction.
The Army established the ADAP Program to assist schools in preparing students for taking important tests important to their futures and to aid in building quality applicants who want to serve and can meet Army standards.
For more information, potential students are encouraged to contact the Tampa Recruiting Battalion at 813-935-3398.
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