December 21, 2005
On December 15th, 2005, the National Center for Education Statistics released the preliminary analysis of the 2003 National Adult Literacy Survey.
The NALS is a nationally representative assessment of English literacy among American adults age 16 and older. Sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics, NAAL is the nation's most comprehensive measure of adult literacy. The survey was conducted by the Educational Testing Service, the same group that administers the SATs which are the primary college admissions test in the US.
The test measures three types of literacy:
Prose Literacy
The knowledge and skills needed to perform prose tasks (i.e., to search, comprehend, and use information from continuous texts).
Document Literacy
The knowledge and skills needed to perform document tasks(i.e., to search, comprehend, and use information from noncontinuous texts in various formats).
Quantitative Literacy
The knowledge and skills needed to perform quantitative tasks (i.e., to identify and perform computations, either alone or sequentially, using numbers embedded in printed materials).
The Results
Percentage of adults who can read proficiently, by race/ethnicity:
- White: 17% (down 1% since 1992)
- Black: 2% (equal to 1992)
- Hispanic: 4% (down 1% since 1992)
- Asian/Pacific Islander: 12% (up 3% since 1992)
Perentage of adults who can read proficiently, by educational attainment:
- High school graduate: 4.6%
- College Graduate: 29%
- Gruduate Studies/Degree: 36%
Why hasn't this been picked up by any major papers? This is the most important story of the year and it should be our rallying cry going into the 2006 elections!
Source: National Adult Literacy Survey