The Education Administration Subcommittee advanced HJR 66, a joint resolution urging local education agencies to participate in the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) career exploration program, after a detailed testimony from Tennessee military recruiters and extended committee questions. The clerk recorded six ayes and moved the resolution to the full education committee.

The resolution, sponsored in the subcommittee as HJR 66, encourages high schools to make the ASVAB widely available to grades 10–12. Lieutenant Colonel William Blake English, introduced himself as "commander for Tennessee's recruiting and retention battalion," and summarized the ASVAB as a researched aptitude and career-exploration assessment that measures multiple areas — including general science, arithmetic reasoning, word knowledge, paragraph comprehension, mathematics knowledge, electronics information, auto and shop information and mechanical comprehension. He said the test is offered in paper and computer forms, is free of charge to schools, and that taking it carries no obligation to join the military.

English told the committee the ASVAB can inform students, counselors and parents about academic strengths and career pathways and, if correlated, can provide predictive information on ACT and SAT scores. He also described military education benefits when recruiters are able to follow up with interested students, and cited the "Tennessee Strong Act" and other scholarship pathways that recruiters said can help pay for college for enlistees.

Committee members pressed witnesses on school-level access and data-release options. English described an eight-option framework schools can set for ASVAB data release (option 1 releases all information within 30 days; option 8 releases no information to the armed services) and said parental opt-outs and district-level restrictions limit recruiters’ ability to follow up. He cited FY23–FY24 data (for the subset of schools that permit data access) and said the numbers showed roughly 14,283 passing and 14,964 failing; he said "51 percent" when describing the share falling below the written passing threshold. English also said a qualifying score is 31 and that the scale runs into the upper 90s.

Several committee members — including Representative Glenn and Chairman White — argued the state should consider moving from an "encouraged" posture to a requirement that local education agencies permit student access to the ASVAB, or at least to standardize access. Other members counseled caution about mandates and asked staff and legal to study what requiring participation would mean for districts and charters.

After the hearing, the committee voted to send HJR 66 to the full education committee for further consideration; the clerk announced six ayes.

Ending: The sponsor and witnesses were invited to present the same material to the full education committee next Tuesday at noon to allow broader discussion of whether the resolution should remain an encouragement or be converted into a requirement.