Adult Literacy in America - National Center for Education Statistics ...

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The pattern for Black individuals is somewhat different. The average prose, document, and quantitative proficiencies of 21- to 25-year-old Black adults assessed in 1992 were comparable to those of young Black adults assessed in 1985. Black NALS participants in the 28 to 32 age group demonstrated similar prose and document proficiencies but lower quantitative scores (240 compared with 252) than participants in the young adult survey. When the literacy skills of young Hispanic adults assessed in 1985 are compared with the skills of those assessed in 1992, still a different pattern is seen. Hispanic adults aged 21 to 25 who participated in the earlier assessment demonstrated an average prose score of 251, an average document score of 243, and an average quantitative score of 253. Their same-age peers who participated in the 1992 assessment demonstrated quantitative proficiencies that were 24 points lower. While their average prose and document scores were also lower, the 10- to 20-point differences did not reach statistical significance. Hispanic adults aged 28 to 32 who participated in the 1992 survey demonstrated lower average prose and quantitative proficiencies than young Hispanic adults who participated in the 1985 survey. The proficiency gap on the prose scale was 28 points, while on the quantitative scale, it was 30 points. Although large, the 18-point difference on the document scale did not reach statistical significance. Again, these performance differences between the 1985 and 1992 surveys can be explained, at least in part, by demographic changes in the young adult population over the seven-year period. Results by Level of Education A primary means of transmitting literacy to succeeding generations is the school system. Not surprisingly, then, among all the variables explored in the survey, the level of education attained in the United States has the strongest relationship with demonstrated literacy proficiency (FIGURE 1.3). Adults with higher levels of education demonstrated much higher average proficiencies than those with fewer years of schooling. As previously observed, however, the relationship between schooling and literacy is complex. Schooling surely increases an individual’s skills, but it is also true that individuals with higher proficiencies are more likely to extend their schooling. What is most interesting is the steady rise in average literacy proficiencies across the entire range of education levels. (Throughout this section, “level of education” refers to the highest level of education that respondents reported having completed at the time of the survey.) The average prose proficiency of adults who did not go beyond eighth grade was 177, compared with 270 for those who completed high school but went no further, 322 for those whose Section I ......25
Percentage in Level Percentage in Level Percentage in Level NALS 80 60 40 20 0 80 60 40 20 0 80 60 40 20 0 PROSE Still in high school 16 36 37 Literacy Levels and Average Literacy Proficiencies, by Highest Level of Education Completed 11 0* 75 20 26 ......Section I 4 0* 0* Figure 1.3 Average Proficiency 177 231 268 270 294 308 322 336 0 to 8 years 9 to 12 years 42 38 17 2 0* 14 GED 39 39 7 0* 16 High school diploma 36 37 Some college Two year degree Four year degree Graduate studies/degree 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 Levels 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 DOCUMENT Still in high school 15 35 38 12 1 79 10 1 Average Proficiency 170 227 264 264 290 299 314 326 0 to 8 years 18 3 0* 0* 9 to 12 years 46 37 15 2 0* 17 GED 42 34 7 0* 20 High school diploma 38 33 8 23 45 22 Some college 3 4 19 41 32 Two year degree 4 4 11 35 40 Four year degree 10 2 7 28 47 16 Graduate studies/degree 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 Levels 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 QUANTITATIVE Still in high school 19 271 274 269 35 32 12 1 76 9 1 Average Proficiency 169 227 268 270 295 307 322 334 0 to 8 years 18 9 to 12 years 16 GED 38 35 10 1 18 High school diploma 33 37 9 27 42 20 2 Some college 6 23 43 25 Two year degree 3 4 15 37 36 Four year degree 8 3 10 34 41 12 Graduate studies/degree 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 Levels 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 *Percentages below .5 are rounded to 0. 5 1 0* 45 34 17 Level 1 (0 to 225) Level 2 (226 to 275) Level 3 (276 to 325) Level 4 (326 to 375) Level 5 (376 to 500) Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Adult Literacy Survey, 1992. 3 0* 12 1 8 23 42 23 4 4 19 43 29 5 4 12 35 38 12 2 9 30 42 17
Page 1 and 2: ADULT LITERACY in America A First L
Page 3 and 4: U.S. Department of Education Richar
Page 5 and 6: iv ......Contents Section II: The C
Page 7 and 8: vi ......Contents Figures and Table
Page 9 and 10: viii ......Contents Table 3.1: Perc
Page 11 and 12: Our thanks go to all those who carr
Page 13 and 14: xii ......Preface the last decade
Page 15 and 16: xiv ......Preface During the first
Page 17 and 18: adults received proficiency scores
Page 19 and 20: • The literacy proficiencies of y
Page 21 and 22: • Adults in the lowest level on e
Page 23 and 24: Historians remind us that during th
Page 25 and 26: xxii ......Executive Summary
Page 27 and 28: 2 ......Introduction The plan for d
Page 29 and 30: 4 ......Introduction embedded in pr
Page 31 and 32: 6 ......Introduction oversampled to
Page 33 and 34: 8 ......Introduction Further inform
Page 35 and 36: 0 225 275 325 375 500 Source: U.S.
Page 37 and 38: About This Report This report is wr
Page 39 and 40: 14 ......Introduction
Page 41 and 42: 16 ......Section I are more challen
Page 43 and 44: NALS Percentages of Adults with Sel
Page 45 and 46: NALS Percentages of Adults Who Repo
Page 47 and 48: 22 ......Section I Twelve percent o
Page 49: NALS Average Literacy Proficiencies
Page 53 and 54: Results by Parents’ Level of Educ
Page 55 and 56: Results by Age 30 ......Section I T
Page 57 and 58: NALS Average Years of Schooling, by
Page 59 and 60: 34 ......Section I When one compare
Page 61 and 62: NALS PROSE Average Proficiency Aver
Page 63 and 64: Age and Racial/Ethnic Differences 3
Page 65 and 66: Country of Birth and Racial/Ethnic
Page 67 and 68: 42 ......Section I appears among Bl
Page 69 and 70: Percentage in Level Percentage in L
Page 71 and 72: Results by Region Results by Sex 46
Page 73 and 74: NALS Percentages of Adults Born in
Page 75 and 76: Summary 50 ......Section I overrepr
Page 77 and 78: 52 ......Section I A strong relatio
Page 79 and 80: NALS Percentages of Adults Who Vote
Page 81 and 82: Aspects of Newspaper Reading 56 ...
Page 83 and 84: NALS Among Adults Who Read the News
Page 85 and 86: 60 ......Section II Individuals in
Page 87 and 88: NALS Level 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 3 1
Page 89 and 90: NALS Average Literacy Proficiencies
Page 91 and 92: NALS Median Weekly Wages, by Litera
Page 93 and 94: Summary 68 ......Section II The gre
Page 95 and 96: 70 ......Section III the content an
Page 97 and 98: NALS 72 ......Section III The respo
Page 99 and 100: 74 ......Section III and the use of
Page 101 and 102:
76 ......Section III Prose Level 2
Page 103 and 104:
Page 105 and 106:
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82 ......Section III Two other task
Page 109 and 110:
Document Literacy 84 ......Section
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86 ...... Section III Here is a Soc
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88 ......Section III A second quest
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90 ......Section III 12345678901234
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92 ......Section III Other tasks in
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94 ......Section III The NALS quant
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THEATER TRIP 96 ......Section III 1
Page 123 and 124:
98 ......Section III 12345678901234
Page 125 and 126:
100 ......Section III Quantitative
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NALS Average Probabilities of Succe
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104 ......Section III classified as
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106 ......Section III The failure t
Page 133 and 134:
Table 3.4: Percentages and average
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110 ......Section III Table 3.5D: P
Page 137 and 138:
112 ......Section III Relatively hi
Page 139 and 140:
The sample designs for all 12 house
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for 60 strategically constructed su
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Finally, the survey collected infor
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made to include as broad a range as
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Administering the Data Collection I
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124 ......Appendix A Response Rates
Page 151 and 152:
Data Entry 126 ......Appendix A The
Page 153 and 154:
NALS 128 ......Appendix A common it
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A30endix 130 ......Appendix A .....
Page 157 and 158:
132 ......Appendix B College: 2 or
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134......Appendix B Region Census d
Page 161 and 162:
Employment Status Respondents were
Page 163 and 164:
138 ......Appendix B Table 1.12A Av
Page 165 and 166:
140 ......Appendix B
Page 167 and 168:
Page 169 and 170:
144......Appendix B
Page 171 and 172:
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Page 175 and 176:
Page 177 and 178:
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Page 181 and 182:
156 ......Appendix B Census Region
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RACE/ETHNICITY TABLE 1.10 Average P
Page 185 and 186:
CENSUS REGION TABLE 1.11 Average Pr
Page 187 and 188:
DISABILITIES Physical, Mental, Heal
Page 189 and 190:
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168......Appendix B
Page 195 and 196:
Page 197 and 198:
Page 199 and 200:
174 ......Participants Mr. David Ne
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176 ......Participants Test Develop
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