MCO 1610.7B
5 Jun 2023
4-21 Enclosure (2)
(2) Markings of "A" to "H" correspond to three scaled descriptions to
stimulate the RS’s cognitive reasoning in making the appropriate selection.
(3) The scales run from left to right; each attribute is distinctly
separate from the others.
c. Marking Philosophy. A marking philosophy refers to the weight a RS
assigns to the PARS for individual attributes. For example, a certain RS may
treat the “B” PAR as a below-average mark, the “C” PAR as an average mark,
the “D” PAR as an above-average mark, and so on.
(1) A marking philosophy serves two primary purposes:
(a) It provides RSs with a method to measure the efforts and
abilities of Marines across the 14 attributes.
(b) It serves as a practical scale that, when explained at the
onset of the reporting relationship, and when coupled with PARS criteria,
objectively communicates a RS’s expectations.
(2) Marking philosophies are unique to individual RSs.
(3) The PARS descriptors provide the framework for RSs to develop
their own marking philosophy. Once a RS has decided on a marking philosophy,
they must maintain that same marking philosophy for all ranks and all MOSs
for the entirety of their career. If a RS were to change their marking
philosophy mid-career it would have drastic effects on the Marines for whom
they had previously written fitness reports.
(4) The performance evaluation process has the potential to be a
subjective process. It is the RS’ responsibility to eliminate as much
subjectivity as possible by developing objective criteria, similar to the
provided “PARS descriptors,” for each individual PAR for all 14 attributes.
(a) For example, a RS, keeping his or her marking philosophy in
mind, must set criteria for what rates an A, B, C, D, E, F, and G PAR for the
“Performance” attribute for a Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, Gunnery Sergeant,
etc. They must then repeat this process for the remaining 13 attributes.
(b) Unlike a RS’s marking philosophy, PAR criteria will not
remain the same for all ranks, or all MOSs/billets. The RS’s PAR criteria
must be adapted for each rank and each MOS/billet.
1. For example, the criteria that warrants a “D” attribute
mark for the “Leading Subordinates” attribute of a sergeant with an infantry
MOS must be kept in perspective of the billet the MRO has been placed in, and
the MRO’s exhibited effort within that billet. It is unlikely that the
billet a sergeant with an administrative MOS is going to be placed in is
going to be identical to the billet that an infantry sergeant is placed in.
In other words, you are not going to expect the administrative sergeant to be
an expert at leading squad-level field exercises and effective squad-level
fields of fire; similarly, you would not expect an infantry sergeant to be an
expert at verifying unit diary entries and appropriately tasking Marine Corps
Total Force Structure responsibilities.
2. The same rationale applies for Marines of different
ranks. If “D” denotes above-average performance within a RS’s profile, then