Page 113 - NAVAL SCIENCE 3 TEXTBOOK

II Evaluation of Performance

All people are involved in evaluation from illl carly age. Babies llation were right. Further out in lime, it might sometimes refer to
respond to some types of personalities better than others. potential performnnce. tor example, a long-distance rullner may
YOllngsters select friends based 011 performance and satist)'illg their be hampered in a particulnr race by illness, but basic ability is not
needs for companionship. The process becomes more sophisticated qucstioned. One often he<lrs comments on potential performance
and important as years go by. In the Na\T and in NJROTC. offi- such as, "He could do it ifhe renll)' tried," or "She just doesn't seem
cers are concerned with the selection of personnel for instructors, to care." In the final nllalysis, true ability cnHnot be judged except
for school nominations, for advancement in rale, for filling billets b)' observing performance. It is the results thnt count!
in the unit, and for carrying out specific assignments. The overall Both performance ;:1I1d ability refer to the present-wh;:l1 the
pcrformill1cc rating of a naval leader is greatly afiixted by ability to person is doing, or can do. now. Aptitude, on the other hand,
select appropriate people for various roles, and to judge their C<lpa- refers to potential skills nnd abilities in the future. Aptitude tests
bilit)' tu take on future assignments of greater responsibility. of many varieties, such as the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) nnd
ASVA13 (an armed services aptitude test), as wdl as evaluation
of background expcriences, can be used with good reliability to
Performance, Ability, Aptitude, select individuals for training in certain areas. For example, high
Achievement school ll1l1sicians proved to be ver)' adept radiomen in \Vorld \Var

PCljo/"ma/lce refers to what a person does-actual behavior or II, when <Ill individual's ability to read international Morse code
actual output. Ability is often confused with performance. Ability was crucial to the rating. Likewise. the I;mnhand who Ims driven
often applies to performance over a considerable period of time; it and repaired tractors, cnrs, and mnchinery since age ten is il good
also applies to what a person could do at a given moment, if the sit- prospect to become <I sllccessful enginel1l<lll or machinist's Illate. A
long list of such examples could be Illade.
Aciliel'elllent generi.\lIy refers to performance in the past, often
that which has alre;:ldy been eVi.lluated. Achievement applies to
work that has been done. \"hen properly evaluated. past achieve-
ments of individuals in the same field cnn be quickly compared for
selection for promotion or future job assignments. Properl)! eval-
uating the achievcments of their subordinates is one of the most
important responsibilities of a leader.

Evaluation in the NJROTC

Developing leadership ability is one of the main objectives of
N]ROTC. Students enrolled in this course should strive to become
leaders in their school. unit, and community. and prepare for
higher leadership roles later in life.
Already. the cadet officers of an NJROTC unit have been
through a selection process to attain their ranks and their posi-
tions. Their predecessors undoubtedly helped their naval science
These NJROTC cadets are going though an important phase in per- instructors to make the current appointments. Perhaps more
sonal development cal led progress assessment. Upon completion of important to the cadet is the fact that their current oll1cers and
this quiz, the individuals taking it can use it to judge for themselves instructors must evaluate ilild nominate their successors at some
how well they learned the material presented to them, and can take
time during the school year.
personal corrective action to improve future performance if neces-
sary. (Annapolis HS NJROTC)

118