LITERACY FACTS 

What is literacy? 

The National Institute for Literacy (http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/faqs.html#literacy)

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 defines literacy as “an individual’s ability to red, write, speak in English, compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual and in society.”  This is a broader view of literacy than just an individual’s ability to read, the more traditional concept of literacy.  As information and technology have increasingly shaped our society, the skills we need to function successfully have gone beyond reading, and literacy has come to include the skills listed in the current definition.

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (http://nces.ed.gov/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.

For an overview of the NAAL, to:

http://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/commissioner/remarks2005/12_5_2005.asp

Literacy in North Carolina 

Literacy is measured in five levels developed by the National Adult Literacy Survey of 1992.  A level one reader cannot read well enough to fill out a job application. (http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/faqs.html)  However, a portion of level one readers can total a deposit slip or locate the time and place of a meeting on a form.  (http://nces.edu.gov//naal/resources/execsumm.asp)

22 percent of North Carolina population reads at level one. (http://www.casa.org/lit/litcode/Search.dfm)

24 percent of Cumberland County population reads at level one.

(https://www.casa.org/lit/litcode/Detail.CFM?census_AREAID-2151)

Literacy in North Carolina, 1998 Edition, by Mary Dunn Siedow, NC Literacy Resource Center,  pp. 1-12.

Excerpts

The resulting National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS), published in 1993, gives us several important contributions to knowledge of literacy.  First NALS gave us this new, outcomes based definition of literacy:

“Literacy is using printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one’s goals and to develop one’s knowledge and potential.”

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Results of NALS show that while the nation’s literacy skills have risen dramatically in 200 years, we still have large percentages performing at the lowest levels (21-23% at Level 1, 25-28% at Level 2).  These individuals tend to be less likely than more literate adults to be employed full-time, to earn high wages, or to vote.  They wee more likely to receive food stamps, to live in poverty, and to rely on non-print sources for information.

Adults over the age of 16 who performed at Level 1 on the three scales of the 1993 National Adult Literacy Survey have these characteristics:

Education: 62% did not complete high school, and 35% completed fewer than nine years of school.

Age: 33% were 65 years of age or older, and 13% were between 16 and 24 years of age.

Socio-economic status: 41 – 44% were living in poverty; 30% worked full-time, earning from $230 - $245 per week; 17–19% reported receiving food stamps.

Race:  51% were White, 20% were Black, 23% were Hispanic, and 4% wee Asian/Pacific Islanders.

Synthetic Estimates of Adult Literacy

North Carolina, 1994 and 1997

In 1994, some 18% (approximately 894,733) of adults were estimated to perform at Level 1.  In 1997, Level 1 performance was estimated at nearly 22% (approximately 1,139,507 of adults).  These adults would be likely to have serious literacy difficulties and to need significant literacy instruction.

In 1994, another 32% (approximately 1,590,636) and in 1997, nearly another 30% (approximately 1,560,969) of adults would have scored in Level 2.  While these adults may do very well in everyday literacy tasks, it is likely that they would still benefit from literacy instruction.

The differences in the 1994 and 1997 estimates suggest a possible shift in Level 1 and Level 2 numbers.  This may mean that the need for the most basic literacy instruction is growing.

North Carolina’s place in the rankings of combined mean proficiency and the percentages of adults in Levels 1 and 2 suggests a serious literacy need throughout our state.

While the percentage of North Carolina adults in Level 1 grew from 1994 to 1997, the percentage is similar to the NALS national figures.  This fact should not be used to engender complacency.  Given the state’s low combined mean percentage and its place among the states with 50% or more in Levels 1 and 2, North Carolina can be said to experience significant adult literacy needs.

Synthetic Estimates of Adult Literacy

North Carolina Counties