California :: U.S. Skills Map: State and County Indicators of Adult Literacy and Numeracy :: NCES

U.S. Skills Map: State and County Indicators of Adult Literacy and Numeracy

NCES: April 2020

U.S. Skills Map

The National Center for Education Statistics surveyed 12,330 U.S. adults ages 16 to 74 living in households during 2012 to 2017 for the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), an international study involving over 35 countries. Using small area estimation models, indirect estimates of literacy and numeracy proficiency have been produced for all U.S. states and counties. By using PIAAC survey data in conjunction with data from the American Community Survey, the Skills Map provides reliable estimates of adult literacy and numeracy skills in all 50 states, all 3,141 counties, and the District of Columbia.

At or below Level 1:   22% National est.

read short digital or print texts to locate a single piece of information

At Level 2:   32% National est.

make matches between the text, either digital or printed, and information, and may require paraphrasing or low-level inferences

At or above Level 3:   46% National est.

often dense or lengthy. Understanding text and rhetorical structures is often required, as is navigating complex digital texts

National Average Scale Score:   264 (between 1-500)

Top 10 States – At or below Level 1: 22%

11: NH

13: AK ME MN MT ND VT

14: WY

15: IA WI

Bottom 10 States – At or below Level 1

29: NM

28: CA MS TX

27: LA

25: NV

24: AL FL GA NY

States above National Average Scale Score: 264

279: MN NH

277: AK DC VT

276: ND

275: WA

274: UT

States below National Average Scale Score

252: LA MS NM

254: TX

255: NV

256: AR

257: CA

259: AL FL

READ MORE  ➤➤

Literacy Reports & Statistics

Adult

2020: US Skills Map: State & County Indicators of Adult Literacy & Numeracy, NCES

2019: Adult Literacy in the United States, NCES 2019-179

2019: Literacy Gap Map, Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy

2013: OECD Skills Outlook 2013: First Results from the Survey of Adult Skills, OECD

2009: Literacy of America's Least Literate Adults, NAAL 2003

2006: Literacy of America's College Students, AIR

2007: Literacy in Everyday Life, NAAL 2003

2003: National Assessment of Adult Literacy, NAAL

2000: Programs for Adults in Public Library Outlets, USDE, NCES

1992: National Adult Literacy Survey, NALS

Literacy Gap Map :: Adult Illiteracy May Drive $1.4T Loss In GDP via Politico

Literacy Gap Map

Adult Illiteracy May Drive $1.4T Loss In GDP

Politico: 11.14.2019

The nation could counter those costs with the eradication of illiteracy — bringing all adults up to a level where they can interpret and infer information from complex texts — said Jonathan Rothwell, Gallup’s principal economist.

Rothwell said his findings help quantify a well-known relationship between literacy and earnings performance at the individual level and GDP at the macroeconomic level.

He conducted the analysis of existing data for the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and presented the findings on Wednesday at the foundation’s inaugural National Summit on Adult Literacy.

The foundation also released a map showing literacy levels by county and the impact of literacy on health and income. More than 36 million adults in the U.S. lack basic literacy skills, according to the foundation, and there are many clusters of low-literacy counties in the South, particularly along the Mississippi River, in western Alabama and from Georgia up through the Carolinas.

Literacy Reports & Statistics

Adult

2019: Adult Literacy in the United States, NCES 2019-179

2019: Literacy Gap Map, Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy

2013: OECD Skills Outlook 2013: First Results from the Survey of Adult Skills, OECD

2009: Literacy of America's Least Literate Adults, NAAL 2003

2006: Literacy of America's College Students, AIR

2007: Literacy in Everyday Life, NAAL 2003

2003: National Assessment of Adult Literacy, NAAL

2000: Programs for Adults in Public Library Outlets, USDE, NCES

1992: National Adult Literacy Survey, NALS

Adult Literacy in the United States :: NCES 2019-179

Adult Literacy in the United States

NCES 2019-179 (US Dept of Ed) Data Point: July 2019

What are the rates of literacy in the United States?

Four in five U.S. adults (79 percent) have English literacy skills sufficient to complete tasks that require comparing and contrasting information, paraphrasing, or making low-level inferences—literacy skills at level 2 or above in PIAAC (OECD 2013).

In contrast, one in five U.S. adults (21 percent) has difficulty completing these tasks (figure 1). This translates into 43.0 million U.S. adults who possess low literacy skills: 26.5 million at level 1 and 8.4 million below level 1, while 8.2 million could not participate in PIAAC’s background survey either because of a language barrier or a cognitive or physical inability to be interviewed.

These adults who were unable to participate are categorized as having low English literacy skills, as is done in international reports (OECD 2013), although no direct assessment of their skills is available.

Adults classified as below level 1 may be considered functionally illiterate in English: i.e., unable to successfully determine the meaning of sentences, read relatively short texts to locate a single piece of information, or complete simple forms (OECD 2013)

What is the make-up of adults with low English literacy skills by nativity status and race/ethnicity?

U.S.-born adults make up two-thirds of adults with low levels of English literacy skills in the United States. However, the non-U.S. born are over-represented among such low-skilled adults.

Non U.S.-born adults comprise 34 percent of the population with low literacy skills, compared to 15 percent of the total population (figure 2).

Percentage of all and low-skilled adults age 16 to 65,

by nativity status: 2012 and 2014. FIGURE 2

White and Hispanic adults make up the largest percentage of U.S. adults with low levels of English literacy, 35 percent and 34 percent respectively (figure 3).

By race/ethnicity and nativity status, the largest percentage of those with low literacy skills are White U.S.-born adults, who represent one third of such low-skilled population. Hispanic adults born outside the United States make up about a quarter of such low-skilled adults in the United States (figure 3).

Using the data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), this Data Point summarizes the number of U.S. adults with low levels of English literacy and describes how they differ by nativity status1 and race/ethnicity.

PIAAC is a large-scale international2 study of working-age adults (ages 16–65) that assesses adult skills in three domains (literacy, numeracy, and digital problem solving) and collects information on adults’ education, work experience, and other background characteristics. In the United States, when the study was conducted in 2011–12 and 2013–14, respondents were first asked questions about their background, with an option to be interviewed in English or Spanish, followed by a skills assessment in English. Because the skills assessment was conducted only in English, all U.S. PIAAC literacy results are for English literacy.  READ MORE >>

Literacy Reports & Statistics

Adult

2019: Adult Literacy in the United States, NCES 2019-179

2013: OECD Skills Outlook 2013: First Results-Survey of Adult Skills, OECD

2009: Literacy of America's Least Literate Adults, NAAL 2003

2006: Literacy of America's College Students, AIR

2007: Literacy in Everyday Life, NAAL 2003

2003: National Assessment of Adult Literacy, NAAL

2000: Programs for Adults in Public Library Outlets, USDE, NCES

1992: National Adult Literacy Survey, NALS

Monrovia Library :: The Eyes Have It On Infographics

The Eyes Have It On Infographics

Business Record: 12.01.2017 by Drew McLellan

We’re three weeks into a series of columns that are focused on helping you plan for 2018 by identifying the channels too critical for you to ignore. This week, we’re going to investigate the value of infographics.

Monrovia Library

Adult Literacy

Visual content works. Consider these facts:

•  The human brain processes visual content 60,000 times faster than it does text.

•  Infographics are liked and shared on social media three times more than any other type of content.

•  High-quality infographics are 30 times more likely to be read than text articles.

An infographic allows you to communicate complex ideas in an easy-to-understand format. They make it easy to show the relationship among various elements so your audience can see the bigger picture.

You can deliver more information because the format itself is simple, clean and holistic in how it presents your ideas. If your audience needs to understand how one fact or choice affects other elements, an infographic may be the right choice. If you know that your audience is faced with multiple options, help them follow the path to the outcomes tied to each decision.

Infographics are also a smart option for telling a linear story and showing the flow of events in a relational way. Think of it like a storyboard that outlines the key events or milestones. You can use colors and design choices to suggest emotions behind the facts and set a tone for the entire discussion.  READ MORE >>

California Library Literacy Services Annual Report :: 2014-15

Report to the Legislature on the California Library Literacy & English Acquisition Services Program: 2014-15

California State Library California Library Literacy Services: July 2016

Executive Summary

Adult Learner Outcomes

Several million adults in California are unable to fully participate in the social, political and economic life of our state because they cannot read or write English. Improved literacy skills open the door to better employment opportunities, self-education, and the joys of reading.

For the past 30 years, the state has helped open that door for nearly a quarter of a million adult learners through the California Library Literacy Services (CLLS) program. CLLS supports Californians by providing services to low-literacy adults and their families through California public libraries.

In addition to helping adults learn to read and write, literacy programs are providing assistance with other necessary life skill needs by teaching digital and health literacy, delivering job skill training, and helping adults obtain their high school diplomas and U.S. citizenship. CLLS programs provide a gateway to success for many in their communities.

During the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, 18,388 adult Californians participating in CLLS improved their reading skills with the help of close to 10,000 volunteers.

Gov. Brown added $1 million in one-time funds in fiscal year 2014/2015, enabling a baseline increase of 50% to each local program. Gov. Brown then restored $2 million to the program in the 2015-2016 fiscal year, demonstrating the priority this state puts on an informed and educated California.

The total number of locations providing services in fiscal year 2014/15 is 805, and that number will grow in 2015/2016 due to the increase in committed state funding and the ability to add new programs for the first time in four years.

Literacy services provide an excellent return on investment, as participating programs contribute local funds to support literacy effects – in fiscal year local contributions totaled $16,846,187, ($4.41 for each state dollar spent).  READ MORE >>

Monrovia Library :: Literacy Services at the Library

Literacy Services at the Library

Monrovia Library

Reading Help for Adult Learners

We help English-speaking adults 18 years and older improve reading and writing skills so you can reach your potential as workers, parents, community members and life-long learners. Our trained volunteer tutors will meet with you one-on-one or in a small group setting. You will learn what you need at your own pace and will be able to apply new skills to your lives. We can help you with personal learning goals such as:

Passing GED or high school equivalency

Reading to your children or grandchildren

Studying for U.S. citizenship

Improving spelling, writing, grammar and pronunciation

Enhancing your job prospects

Using computers and understanding technology

For more information about our free and confidential program, call 626-256-8273

Volunteers Provide America $184 Billion Dollars in Value 2015

How do you provide America $184 billion dollars in value?

Volunteering and Civic Life in America

Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS): November 2016

National, State, City, and Demographic Information

This site is home to the most comprehensive look at volunteering and civic life in the 50 states and 51 cities across the country. Data includes volunteer rates and rankings, civic engagement trends, and analysis.

Overall, the volunteer rate remained steady as 62.6 million Americans volunteered 7.8 billion hours last year. Based on the Independent Sector's estimate of the average value of a volunteer hour ($23.56 in 2015), the estimated value of this volunteer service is nearly $184 billion.  READ MORE @

Top 10 States

1    Utah

2    Minnesota

3    Wisconsin

4    South Dakota

5    Idaho

6    Nebraska

7    Kansas

8    Vermont

9    Alaska

10  Iowa

California is 34th

AEFL Week :: Literacy | Adulted | TESOL | B Bush Found | NCL Advocacy | GED

Tweet – Tweeter – Tweetest

Superlatives from SCLLN

How many of these

Adult Ed & Family Literacy Facts did you know?

Share the graphic & spread the word!

http://ow.ly/ub4p304C8dG #AEFLWeek

@TESOL_Assn  Sep 28

Support #adultedu #AEFLWeek

#WednesdayWisdom

@welearnwomlit  Sep 28

A quote in honor of Adult Education and Family Literacy Week.

#Adulted #AEFLWeek #LearningForLife

@EducExchangeRI  Sep28

#AdultLiteracy

is more than giving adults the opportunity to read books;

literacy is the key to success.

#AEFLWeek

@BarbaraBushFdn  Sep 27

#adultedu & #literacy help adults

acquire foundational skills that equip them to succeed economically. http://buff.ly/2dbWy2x  #AEFLweek

@WashtenawLit  Sep 27

Celebrating #AEFLWeek with a New Fact Sheet

on Adult Education & Middle-Skill Jobs

@SkillsCoalition

@NCLAdvocacy  Sep 26

#AEFLWeek

@elyssehillyer  Sep 26

Adult literacy intersects with almost every socioeconomic issue. http://spr.ly/6013B7JUl  #AEFLWeek

@GEDTesting  Sep 26

California Value of Volunteer Time 2015 :: $27.59 per hour

National Value of Volunteer Time: 2015

Independent Sector

Estimated Value of Volunteer Time for 2015: $23.56 per hour

California: $27.59

The estimate helps acknowledge the millions of individuals who dedicate their time, talents, and energy to making a difference. Charitable organizations can use this estimate to quantify the enormous value volunteers provide.

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, about 62.8 million Americans, or 25.3 percent of the adult population, gave 7.9 billion hours of volunteer service worth $184 billion in 2014.2 For the latest information, please see www.volunteeringinamerica.gov.

For more information on the economic impact of nonprofits by state, please visit our state profiles portal.

Value of Volunteer Time by State 2001-2015.pdf

Tweetest :: Library Poems | Literacy Needle | Library Visits | BrainSpace :: Superlatives from SCLLN

Tweet – Tweeter – Tweetest

Superlatives from SCLLN

Nikki Giovanni's wonderful poems celebrating libraries and librarians

#NationalPoetryMonth

https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/12/11/nikki-giovannis-poems-library-librarians/ … 

@brainpicker 28 Apr 201628 Apr 2016 28 Apr 2016

National Implications of Moving the Literacy Needle in California

Huffington Post

http://dlvr.it/L2BSLT

 The Classical Music in Stanley Kubrick’s Films: Listen to a Free, 4 Hour Playlist http://goo.gl/Ul7MwF  Flint, Michigan isn't the only place with lead problems. Here's how to check your community: http://lifehac.kr/XYVkDu1  Flint, Michigan isn't the only place with lead problems. Here's how to check your community: http://lifehac.kr/XYVkDu1  lifehac.kr/XYVkDu1 

@CALnewswire 11 Apr 20163:35 AM - 9 Mar 2016 · Details

31% visit #libraries at least once a month

California and Florida are the most popular states for library visitors

http://bit.ly/1ZZQj2k

@paidviewpoint  12 Mar 2016 4 Apr 2016

Brainspace: Augmented Reality Enhanced Print Magazine

must see to believe

#ScannableTech

http://wp.me/p42mcK-1LZ

@ClassTechTips 6 Apr 2016