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

Huntington Beach Library ◯ Picture Prompt Exercise

Picture Prompt Exercise

Literacy Volunteers HBPL: 4.07.2020

Happy Tuesday Tutors! Looking for ideas to help you stay in touch with your learner? Try this "Picture Prompt" exercise, it's easy and something you can do every day!

What other ways can you and your learner come up with to build on this exercise? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Enjoy!

 

Financial Literacy Month ◯ 15 Websites to Teach Financial Literacy ◯ Ask A Teacher

15 Websites to Teach Financial Literacy

Ask A Teacher: 4.06.2020 by Jacqui

#FinancialLiteracyMonth

#SmartMoneyWeek

When kids read that America’s $23 trillion+ debt is accepted by many experts as ‘business as usual’, I wonder how that news will affect their future personal finance decisions. Do they understand the consequences of unbalanced budgets? The quandary of infinite wants vs. finite dollars? Or do they think money grows on some fiscal tree that always blooms? The good news is: Half of the nation’s schools require a financial literacy course. The bad new is: Only half require a financial literacy course.

If your school doesn’t teach a course about personal economics, there are many online sites that address the topic as mini-lessons. Some are narrative; others games. Here are fifteen I like. See if one suits you:

Banzai is a personal finance curriculum that teaches high school and middle school students how to prioritize spending decisions through real-life scenarios and choose-your-own adventure (kind of) role playing.

Hands-on Banking

Age group: Upper elementary

This game-based website covers budgeting, needs vs. wants, savings vs. checking, credit, banks, and where money comes from.

Living Wage Calculator

Age group: Upper elementary, middle and high school

Put out by MIT, Living Wage Calculator estimates the cost of living in your community or region. The calculator lists typical expenses, cost of living, and typical wages.

iOS Apps

Because more often than not, 18-24 year olds are on a mobile device rather than a computer, here are six apps that can be played from anywhere:

Bankaroo – Using this free virtual bank for kids, students learn to manage their allowance while saving for goals. To track learning, they earn badges for their accomplishments. This app works on desktops as well as mobile devices.

Motion Math – As students struggle to run their own pizzeria, they must balance budgets, think proportionally, buy ingredients, design the pizzas, and sell to customers. The app also includes which Common Core Math Standards are addressed by the gameplay.

Savings Spree — Students learn how the choices they make each day can add up to big savings or expenses depending on their spending decisions. Kids see how they can save for short-term goals while investing for future needs.

Time is Money – This free Chrome add-on converts prices on a webpage to hours worked.  READ MORE ➤➤

Using Your Cell Phone for Instruction ◯ ProLiteracy

Using Your Cell Phone for Instruction

ProLiteracy Blog: 4.02.2020 by Jessica Gilmour

ProLiteracy has an excellent list of resources you can use with students during this period of social/physical distancing including instructional resources and tools. Let’s talk about some of those resources and tools. Let’s start with a tool that you and your students all most likely have—a cell phone.

If you’re working with ESL students, one of the easiest ways to use a cell phone is to set up regularly scheduled calls where you can talk with students and they can practice their conversational English. Aim for at least a 10 minute conversation two times a week. Before you end your call, determine what you will talk about for the next call so the student has a chance to think about what he or she wants to say and can practice the relevant grammar and vocabulary. If you need topics, I suggest using current events topics from News for You. News for You Online is providing the courtesy password 22667F through June 30, 2020, so anyone can access News for You Online.

If you want to have a phone call with more than one student at the same time, you can google “How to make a conference call on my [insert whatever phone you have].” Though the instructions are different for each phone, they are all straightforward and easy to find. READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 10

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. Old

(Ninth to Tenth graders)

Colton Library ◯ Brings Forth Edutainment During Quarantine

Colton Public Library Brings Forth Edutainment During Quarantine

IECN: 3.31.2020 by Manny B. Sandoval

Amidst COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, Colton Public Library brings forth creative activities for the entire family in an innovative way to connect to the community.

Since the middle of March, the library staff and its Literacy Program Assistant Thomas Robles (Library Tom) have generated Facebook and YouTube videos, inclusive of story time, a sing-a-long music segment and even cooking demonstrations.

“We began this online Library Tom Storytime series about three weeks ago. The Community Services Department is unable to engage with the community at this time, so we found a way to bring stories, music and activities to children and families in Colton and beyond,” said Robles.  READ MORE ➤➤

High Interest - Low Reading Level Books for Reluctant Readers via Thought Co

High Interest-Low Reading Level Books for Reluctant Readers

Thought Co: 1.09.2020 by Elizabeth Kennedy

It's been proven that kids reading below grade level are more likely to read a book that's at their reading level as well as their interest level. If your young children or teens are reluctant readers, they may be frustrated because they read below grade level and can’t find books that interest them. If this is the case, the answer to the dilemma might be "hi-lo books" (“hi” stands for “high interest,” “lo” stands for “low readability,” "low vocabulary," or "lower reading level") specifically geared to encourage reading. Hi-lo books and reading lists focus on titles that engage readers' interest level but are written at a lower reading level.

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Hi-Lo Books for for Reluctant Readers in the Upper Elementary Grades

This list from the Seattle Public Library offers ALSC School-Age Programs and Services Committee offers hi-lo books for reluctant readers in Grades 3 to 6 and has been expanded to include graphic novels and a wide range of subject matter such as comedy, sports, the arts, and science-related topics, to name only a few.

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Multnomah County Library Kids Picks and High-Interest Books for High School Students

Formerly titled "Shorter Books for Taller Readers," this list from the Multnomah County Library in Oregon offers a list of 30 hi-lo books for kids in Grades 6 to 8 (reading levels for each book are cited).

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Bearport Publishing offers educational and nonfiction books for readers from kindergarten level through the 8th Grade. An adjustable slider on their site's search function allows you to select the appropriate reading and interest levels for your young reader.

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Books for Reluctant & Struggling Readers from HIP

High-Interest Publishing (HIP) publishes novels for reluctant readers from grade school through high school.

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Capstone Press has numerous imprints that encompass a range of grade levels. Browse by brand or by genre.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 13

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 18-19 yrs. Old

(college level entry)

Newport Beach Library ◯ S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Newport/Mesa 

ProLiteracy

S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Literally Speaking: March-April 2020

Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy

SMART goals can apply to any goals in life. They can be long or short term.

For Example: Saving Money

Let’s say that your goal is to start saving more money. This alone isn’t a SMART goal, but it can easily be modified so that it is one.

Let's make this goal SMART!

For example: You could say that you want to save $10,000 a year for the next ten years. Now, the goal is specific and measurable because you have an amount that you are shooting for and the ability to measure the amount you end up actually saving. This goal is time-bound as well, since your goal is to save a specific amount each year over a given period.

Whether the goal is achievable depends on your own financial situation. Assuming it is, the goal fits that criteria as well.

Lastly, you have to analyze whether saving money is a relevant and important goal for you personally. If that is true, then the goal in this example fits all the criteria of being a SMART goal.  READ MORE ➤➤