Fact Sheet Overview2003 The National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) The National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) is a nationally representative and continuing assessment of English language literacy skills of American adults age 16 and older. The U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the Institute of Education Sciences has conducted assessments of U.S. adult literacy since 1985. The 2003 NAAL will provide the first assessment of the nation's progress in adult literacy since 1992. In addition to describing the status and progress of literacy in the nation and in each of the six participating states (Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, and Oklahoma), the 2003 NAAL will provide information about background factors associated with literacy, the skill levels of the least-literate adults, and the application of literacy skills to health-related materials. It seeks to: describe the status of adult literacy in the United States; report on national trends; and identify relationships between literacy and selected characteristics of adults. For more information on the NAAL, go to http://nces.ed.gov/naal. In the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) assessment, 1994-98:
In the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) assessment, 1994-98:
More statistics from this study Reading The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study assessed children's reading skills as they entered kindergarten in the fall of 1998, kindergarten in the spring of 1999, and first grade in spring 2000. They found that at the start of kindergarten in the fall:
More statistics from this study The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2000 national reading assessment of fourth-grade students found that reading for fun had a positive relationship to performance on the NAEP reading scores. The 87% of students who reported reading for fun on their own time once a month or more performed at the Proficient level, while students who never or hardly ever read for fun performed at the Basic level. Students who read for fun every day scored the highest. More statistics from this study The 2000 Program for International Student Assessment found that on a combined reading literacy scale, U.S. 15 year olds performed about as well on average as most of the 27 participating OECD countries.
According to the 1999 National Household Education Survey, 50% of the population aged 25 and over read a newspaper at least once a week, read one or more magazines regularly, and had read a book in the past 6 months. More statistics from this study Parental Involvement Parental Involvement Fact Sheet The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study found the following for kindergartners in the fall of 1998:
The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study found that of the children who were read to at least three times a week as they entered kindergarten:
It also found that in spring 2000, the children who were read to at least three times a week by a family member were almost twice as likely to score in the top 25% in reading than children who were read to less than 3 times a week. More statistics from this study Family Environment and Family Literacy Family Environment and A literacy promotion study, conducted in 1996 in a primary care setting with low-income Hispanic parents of healthy 5-11 month old infants found:
The National Evaluation of The Even Start Family Literacy Program conducted in 1996-97 found the following reasons for participating in the program:
More statistics from this study Literacy and Health Literacy and Health Fact Sheet In a 1993-94 study conducted at two public hospitals, 23.6% of patients with inadequate functional health literacy did not know how to take medication four times a day compared to 9.4% with marginal functional health literacy, and 4.5% with adequate functional health literacy. Workforce Education Workforce Education Fact Sheet A number of national and state organizations in the U.S., including the National Governor's Association, have identified Level 3 proficiency as a minimum standard for success in today's labor market. Findings from the IALS assessment indicate that only half of the U.S. adult population 16-65 years of age reached Level 3. The 2001 American Management Association Survey on Workplace Testing found the following:
The National Center on the Educational Quality of the Workforce found that productivity increases in the manufacturing sector for each of the following factors:
A comparison of the literary requirements of projected high-growth occupations in 2005 (for example math, computer, and other natural scientists), with declining occupations (such as fabricators, assemblers, and inspectors), found the following:
English as a Second Language Literacy In 2000, 28.4 million foreign born resided in the United States, representing 10.4% of the total U.S. population. ESL programs are the fastest growing component of the state-administered adult education programs. In 1997-98, 48% of enrollments were in ESL programs, compared to 33% in 1993-94. Of these 48% enrollees, 32% were in beginning ESL classes, 12% in intermediate, and 4% in advanced. The National Household Education Survey, 1994-95, found that for adults aged 16 or over whose primary language at home was not English:
More statistics from this study ... Correctional Population Correctional Population Fact Sheet In 1992, about one in three prison inmates performed at Level 1 on the NALS prose scale, compared with one in five of the household population. The Three State Recidivism Study found that the re-arrest, reconviction, and re-incarceration rates were lower for the prison population who had participated in correctional education compared to non-participants. The differences were significant in every category. The findings were:
Delivery and Investment Impact Federal funding for the State Grants for Adult Education program was $540 million in FY2001 and $575 million in FY 2002. In 1999, 2% of noninstitutionalized individuals aged 16 or older who were not enrolled in secondary education participated in adult basic education programs, compared to 1% in 1995. In 1999, for noninstitutionalized adults, aged 16 or older, who had participated in an adult basic education program:
Laubach Literacy is the largest volunteer-based literacy organization in the United States. Laubach Literacy's total expenses in the fiscal year ending, May 31, 2001, were $10,582,714:
Teaching ABE or basic skills training has become a common program in many community colleges. In 2000, a 50-state survey of community college funding found six primary sources of funding for adult basic education:
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Last updated: Thursday, 29-May-2008 09:53:29 EDT |