people and planet

15
With respect to definitions, numeracy should receive
separate attention from literacy in the monitoring of
adult basic skills. The PIAAC definition of numeracy
could be adopted, with some extension to assess the
most rudimentary skills (for example, the ability to sort
objects) that are necessary for adults to carry out even
the simplest numeracy tasks. This would provide more
information at the low end of the numeracy reporting
scale to drive policy interventions.
The choice of a reporting framework – the number
of reporting levels, the knowledge and skills they
represent and the labels used – will depend on different
considerations.
The names
given to levels
The names given to
of performance
levels of performance carry value
in literacy and
judgement, such
as ‘semi-literate’
numeracy can carry
in Bangladesh or
value judgement, such ‘minimum mastery
as ‘semi-literate’ in
level’ in Kenya. What
is ‘low’ or ‘high’
Bangladesh or ‘minimum
is relative to the
mastery level’ in Kenya social and economic
progress of each
country. These
considerations must be taken into account. Finally, when
more reporting levels are desired, more items are needed
to cover each level reliably.
A reporting framework of at least four levels may be
preferable. LAMP and most of the countries reviewed
included in the lowest level both those who have no skills
and those with low skills. Yet, there is a fundamental
difference between literacy and numeracy in this regard.
Persons who are deemed ‘illiterate’ (i.e. who cannot read
and write at all) cannot automatically be considered
‘innumerate’; several mathematical practices are
believed to be universal even in non-literate cultures. In
other words, people may still have selected functional
computational or context-specific mathematical skills.
It is therefore necessary to distinguish between
people with no formal skills (those who have relatively
few mental calculation skills beyond counting simple
quantities and who cannot understand the meaning of
written digits) and with low formal skills (those who can
engage in some mental calculations using indigenous
number systems or measurement techniques but
know few print-based or formal numeracy symbols and
systems, even if they may be able to complete very
simply written math problems).
A basic level of numeracy would describe individuals
with mental and written numeracy skills, including
mathematical operations typically learned in school,
as well as everyday mathematics, such as estimates
and graphs, that might be used in newspapers. This
level could vary widely in different societies, depending
on economic development and urbanization or
other country-specific factors, and would need to be
standardized.
Finally, an advanced level would describe individuals who
can, with little difficulty or few errors, perform various
arithmetic functions in formal school and everyday
settings, locate and use quantitative information in
assorted displays, solve multistep calculations and use
measuring devices.
Implementation issues include the number, types and
range of items in terms of content areas, difficulty
levels, amount of text and other parameters (e.g. how
authentic the settings are or whether open-ended
responses should be used instead of multiple choice
items). However, the starting point should be based on
conducting the survey. Realistically, for instance, how
many items can be administered? Assuming the survey
can take up to 90 minutes per respondent, countries and
the international education community face a choice
between two options in assessing numeracy skills.
The first is to use a testing model that adapts to
respondents’ ability, as was done in Brazil and France
and by LAMP and PIAAC. This includes an initial test
that screens out those with very low skills. Often, it
covers a broader range of skills and difficulty levels and
requires a larger number of items to choose from. But
such designs are much costlier due to the need to train
personnel and use computer technology adapted to
multiple scripts and indigenous languages. Further, they
require sophisticated modelling and a high capacity for
statistical analysis.
The second option is to use a simpler design in which
all respondents receive the same assessment items,
as Bangladesh and Kenya have done. This enables a
country to do its own analysis. However, the number of
usable items is lower and it may not be possible to cover
all desired reporting levels with enough items, which
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CHAPTER 15 | TARGET 4.6 – LITERACY AND NUMERACY