IMPROVEMENT OF LITERACY
ADDRESSING LITERACY IN CHILDREN AND ADULTS
Please click on the programs below for more information
Family Literacy Initiatives
Early Childhood Education
Adult Education
Parenting Education
Other Activities and Services
Scope of the Literacy Need
On the reading subscale retrieving information
Conditions of Level 1 NALS respondents
In The Right Start State Trends
Family Literacy Initiatives
It is the purpose of Helping Hands International to help break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy by improving the educational opportunities of the Nation's low-income families by integrating early childhood education, adult literacy and/or adult basic education, and parenting education into a continuum of services in the family literacy program. The project also will provide child care and transportation for all classes.
Helping Hands International has two programs, one focused on adult literacy and one focused on children's literacy. Each program has different origins and differing roles for services providers. Both programs work well to tackle the local illiteracy problem because they approach it from opposite ends of the age spectrum. The primary goal is to enhance resources for adult learners who have some really significant literacy issues that must be solved.
Early Childhood Education
Baby Steps is an early childhood education initiative designed to ensure that children of low-income family arrive at first grade healthy and ready to succeed.
The program focuses on educating preschoolers, helping parents, and assisting child-care providers.
Early childhood development education services and early literacy development will be provided for children from birth to age three, in rooms adjacent to adult education classrooms. Preschool children will attend a variety of programs including Head Start and state-funded preschools.
Helping Hands International will provide preschool services at sites in areas with no alternative providers. Early childhood services for infants and toddlers will be staffed by paraprofessionals, and children's schedules will include group activities, choice time, story time, and nap time.
The program will:
Provide age-appropriate books and literacy activities in child-care facilities and "take home" books to low-income family's preschoolers.
Distribute books through partnerships with various libraries.
Adult Education
In all service delivery systems, the primary goal for adult participants will be to obtain a GED. Specific elements of curriculum and instruction will vary somewhat across the community. Adult education may include small group, whole group, and one-on-one instruction. Another type of service may be an individualized learning system, with participants working at their own pace through workbooks.
Parenting Education
A Family Services Coordinator will conduct weekly, hour-long parenting presentations and discussions at each site. Topics will include sessions on discipline and domestic violence, as well as nutrition, budgeting, and other issues related to household management and family needs. In addition, clients will be accompanied to parenting seminars and parent activities twice a year. The project also will provide Parent and Child Together (PACT) time at all sites. These activities are child-centered and staff will work to fit them into the daily schedule.
Other Activities and Services
Helping Hands International Family Services Coordinator will provide case management and referral services to participants, visiting each of the sites for a full day every week or two. While on site, she will meet with families conduct home visits, and transport families to appointments to apply for services. Adult education teachers also will conduct home visits, often soon after a participant enrolled in the program and sometimes to follow up on participants who had been absent.
The Relationship Between Reading and Literacy
Scope of the Literacy Need
Overview
The NIFL Literacy Fact Sheets include facts and statistics pulled from more than 50 research studies. (Links to digests of some of the major studies are included on the left.) Facts are organized by the major topic areas in the field of literacy on the Web pages hyperlinked above and represent the types of information to be found. The facts listed below are from the most commonly referenced literacy-related studies. New subject area fact sheets will be added through 2002.
Literacy Need
In 1992, the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS), found the following distribution of adults, age 16 and over, in the prose literacy scale:
23% of adults were in Level 1
27% in Level 2
32% in Level 3
17% in Level 4; and
3% in Level 5
Source: Kirsch , p17
Reading
Reading is considered in the Reading First section of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 to mean "a complex system of deriving meaning from print that requires all of the following: (a) The skills and knowledge to understand how phonemes, or speech sounds, are connected to print; (b) The ability to decode unfamiliar words; (c) The ability to read fluently; (d) Sufficient background information and vocabulary to foster reading comprehension; (e) The development of appropriate active strategies to construct meaning from print; and (f) The development and maintenance of a motivation to read."
The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the National Literacy Act of 1991 define literacy as "an individual's ability to read, 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.
Literacy Facts - Reading Scores
Ages 1-2 - Kindergartners and First Grade Students - Ages 9-17 - Adults
Ages 1-2
A literacy promotion study, conducted in a primary care setting in 1996-97 with a multicultural group of low-income families and their children aged 13-25 months, found that the children in the intervention group had higher receptive and expressive vocabulary scores than children in the control group. Children in the intervention group had an average receptive vocabulary score of 51.0, based on 100 words, compared to 39.3 for the control group. Children in the intervention group had an average expressive vocabulary score of 22.1, based on 100 words, compared to 15.9 for the control group.
Source: High , p931, Table 3
Kindergartners and First Grade Students
By the spring of kindergarten, children should be able to recognize the letters of the alphabet "quickly and effortlessly," and understand the letter-sound relationship at the beginning and end of words. By the spring of first grade, most children should be recognizing words by sight and comprehending words in the context of simple sentences.
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:
67% had letter recognition skills, this increased to 95% of children in the spring of their kindergarten year, and 100% by the spring of their first grade year,
31% could understand the letter-sound relationship at the beginning of words, this increased to 74% of children in the spring of their kindergarten year, and 98% by the spring of their first grade year,
18% could understand the letter-sound relationship at the end of words, this increased to 54% of children in the spring of their kindergarten year, and 94% by the spring of their first grade year,
3% had sight-word recognition skills, this increased to 14% of children in the spring of their kindergarten year, and 83% by the spring of their first grade year, and
1% could understand words in context, this increased to 4% of children in the spring of their kindergarten year, and 48% by the spring of their first grade year.
Source: Denton , p11, Figure 1
Children from more disadvantaged backgrounds (e.g., less than high school maternal education) are closing gaps in basic skills (i.e., recognizing their letters and counting beyond 10). However, these same children lag further behind their more advanced classmates when it comes to gaining more sophisticated reading and mathematics knowledge and skills (i.e., recognizing words by sight). In fact, the gap has widened. Source: West , p16
The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study compared the reading skills of children who could recognize their letters at the start of kindergarten with those who could not. They found that in the spring of the first grade (2000), of the children who had letter recognition skills at the start of kindergarten in the fall 1998:
99% understood the letter-sound relationship at the beginning of words, compared to 95% of children who did not have letter recognition skills at the start of kindergarten,
98% understood the letter-sound relationship at the ending of words, compared to 87% of children who did not have letter recognition skills at the start of kindergarten,
92% had sight-word recognition skills, compared to 63% who did not have letter recognition skills at the start of kindergarten, and
60% understood words in context, compared to 21% who did not have letter recognition skills at the start of kindergarten.
Source: Denton , p19, Figure 6
More statistics from this study ...
Ages 9-17
The ability to read and understand complicated information is important to success in college and, increasingly, in the workplace. An analysis of the NAEP long-term trend reading assessments reveals that only half of all White 17 year olds, less than one-quarter of Latino 17 year olds, and less than one-fifth of African American 17 year olds can read at this level.
By age 17, only about 1 in 17 seventeen year olds can read and gain information from specialized text, for example the science section in the local newspaper. This includes:
1 in 12 White 17 year olds
1 in 50 Latino 17 year olds, and
1 in 100 African American 17 year olds.
( Haycock , p5 )
More statistics from this study ...
The Longitudinal Evaluation of School Change and Performance (LESCP) in Title I Schools, 1996-1999, found that school poverty had a negative effect on student achievement. Students in the Title I Schools had average reading SAT-9 scores of 602 in third grade and 640 in fifth grade, compared with national norms of 614 in third grade and 654 in fifth grade.
Also, students who lived in poverty (i.e., were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch) did significantly worse initially on reading tests than other students in the sample. They had a third grade reading score 6.1 points below the average for the sample, and they would make gains at an average pace, neither closing the gap nor falling further behind in reading.
( Westat , p9 )
The 1999 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) long-term reading assessment found that:
Average reading scores for 9 year olds increased during the 1970s. Since 1980, there has been no further improvement in scores; however, the average score in 1999 was higher than in 1971.
Average reading scores for 13 year olds increased during the 1970s. Since 1980, scores have fluctuated; however, the average score in 1999 was higher than in 1971.
Average reading scores for 17 year olds from 1984 to 1992 were higher than in 1971. A slight increase in average scores between 1971 and 1999 was not statistically significant.
( Campbell , px )
The 1999 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) long-term reading assessment found that:
93% of 9 year olds were at or above performance reading level 150,
64% were at or above reading level 200, and
16% were at or above reading level 250
93% of 13 year olds were at or above performance reading level 200
61% were at or above reading level 250, and
15% were at or above reading level 300
82% of 17 year olds were at or above performance reading level 250
40% were at or above reading level 300, and
% were at or above reading level 350.
( Campbell , p21, Figure 1.5 )
Score description ...
More statistics from this study ...
In the National Assessment of Educational Programs (NAEP) 2000 national assessment of fourth-graders' reading ability:
37% were below the reading achievement Basic level
31% were within the Basic level
24% were within the Proficient level, and
8% were within the Advanced level.
( Donahue , p15, Figure 1.4 )
More statistics from this study ...
The 2000 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) focused on 15-year-olds' capabilities in reading literacy. 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. Students in Finland , Canada , and New Zealand outperformed U.S. students. U.S. students performed at the same levels as students in 19 other OECD countries. U.S. students performed better on average than students from Greece, Portugal, Luxembourg, and Portugal. ( NCES, 2002 , p4 )
On the reading subscale retrieving information:
Students in Finland , Australia , New Zealand , Canada , and the Republic of Korea outperformed U.S. students.
U.S. students performed at the same levels as students in 17 other countries.
U.S. students performed better on average than students from Portugal , Greece , Luxembourg , and Mexico .
On the reading subscale interpreting texts:
Students in Finland and Canada outperformed U.S. students.
U.S. students performed at the same levels as students in 20 other countries.
U.S. students performed better on average than students from Greece , Portugal , Luxembourg , and Mexico .
On the reading subscale reflecting on texts:
Students in Canada , the United Kingdom , Ireland , and Finland outperformed U.S. students.
U.S. students performed at the same levels as students in 16 other countries.
U.S. students performed better on average than students from Hungary , Portugal , Germany , Poland , Mexico , and Luxembourg .
( NCES, 2002 , p5, Figure 3 )
Adults
In the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey:
21 to 23% of NALS respondents demonstrated skills in the lowest level of prose, document, and quantitative literacy proficiencies (NALS literacy Level 1). For example, they were able to total an entry on a deposit slip, locate the time and place of a meeting on a form, and identify a piece of specific information in a brief news article. Others were unable to perform these types of tasks, and some had such limited skills that they were unable to respond to much of the survey.
25 to 28% of NALS respondents, representing about 50 million adults nationwide, demonstrated skills in proficiency Level 2 on each of the literacy scales. For example, adults in this level were able to calculate the cost of a purchase or determine the difference between two items. They could also locate a particular intersection on a street map and enter background information on a simple form.
Nearly one-third of NALS respondents, or about 61 million adults nationwide, demonstrated skills in Level 3 on each of the literacy scales. Respondents performing in this level were able to integrate information from relatively long or dense text or from documents, to determine appropriate arithmetic operation based on information contained in the directive, and to identify the quantities needed to perform the operation.
18 to 21% of NALS respondents, or 34 to 40 million adults, performed in the two highest levels of prose, document, and quantitative literacy (Levels 4 and 5). These adults demonstrated proficiencies associated with the most challenging tasks in this assessment, many of which involved long and complex documents and text passages.
Conditions of Level 1 NALS respondents:
62%, or nearly two-thirds, had terminated their education before completing high school.
26% had physical, mental, or health conditions that kept them from participating fully in work, school, housework, or other activities.
25% were immigrants who may have been just learning to speak English.
19% reported having visual difficulties that affect their ability to read print.
A third were aged 65 or older.
( Kirsch , pxiv )
Prose literacy levels of NALS respondents:
21% at prose literacy Level 1
27% at prose literacy Level 2
32% at prose literacy Level 3
17% at prose literacy Level 4, and
3% at prose literacy Level 5.
( Kirsch , p17 )
On a scale of 0-500, the prose proficiency level of NALS respondents who had 8-years of schooling was:
174 for those whose parents had 0-8 years of schooling,
191 for those whose parents had 9-12 years of schooling, and
208 for those whose parents had a high school diploma.
9-12 years of schooling was:
218 for those whose parents had 0-8 years of schooling
235 for those whose parents had 9-12 years of schooling
244 for those whose parents had a high school diploma, and
255 for those whose parents had a 4 year degree.
High school diplomas was:
255 for those whose parents had 0-8 years of schooling
267 for those whose parents had 9-12 years of schooling
275 for those whose parents had a high school diploma, and
286 for those whose parents had a 4 year degree.
4-year degree was:
296 for those whose parents had 0-8 years of schooling
308 for those whose parents had 9-12 years of schooling
318 for those whose parents had a high school diploma, and
324 for those whose parents had a 4 year degree.
( Kirsch , p29 )
The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) 1994-98 , found that for the United States population aged 16-65:
14.0% of the native-born population, aged 16-65, was at prose literacy level 1, compared to 63.7% of the second-language foreign born.
27.3% were at prose level 2, compared to 17.0% of the second-language foreign born.
35.0% were at prose level 3, compared to 13.5% of the second-language foreign born.
23.7% were at prose level 4/5, compared to 5.9% (unreliable) of the second-language foreign born.
( Tuijnman , p45 )
The International Adult Literacy Survey, 1994-95, also found the following international comparisons of the prose literacy levels of the adult population, aged 16-65:
Level 1 - 20.7% in the United States compared to:
42.6% - Poland
22.6% - Ireland
21.8% - United Kingdom
19.3% - Switzerland (German)
18.4% - Belgium (Flanders)
18.4% - New Zealand
17.6% - Switzerland (French)
17.0% - Australia
16.6% - Canada
14.4% - Germany
10.5% - Netherlands
7.5% - Sweden
Level 2 - 25.9% in the United States, compared to:
35.7% - Switzerland (German)
34.5% - Poland
34.2% - Germany
33.7% - Switzerland (French)
30.3% - United Kingdom
30.1% - Netherlands
29.8% - Ireland
28.2% - Belgium (Flanders)
27.3% - New Zealand
27.1% - Australia
25.6% - Canada
20.3% - Sweden
Level 3 - 32.4% in the United States , compared to:
44.1% - Netherlands
39.7% - Sweden
39.0% - Belgium (Flanders)
38.6% - Switzerland (French)
38.0% - Germany
36.9% - Australia
36.1% - Switzerland (German)
35.1% - Canada
35.0% - New Zealand
34.1% - Ireland
31.3% - United Kingdom
19.8% - Poland
Level 4/5 - 21.1% in the United States, compared to:
32.4% - Sweden
22.7% - Canada
19.2% - New Zealand
18.9% - Australia
16.6% - United Kingdom
15.3% - Netherlands
14.3% - Belgium (Flanders)
13.5% - Ireland
13.4% - Germany
10.0% - Switzerland (French)
8.9% - Switzerland (German)
3.1% - Poland
( OECD , p151 )
Family Characteristics
The Kids Count Data Book 2000: State Profiles of Child Well-Being reported that in 1998:
23% of children under the age of 18 were living in working-poor families
8% of children were living in extreme poverty (i.e., income below 50% of the poverty level)
( The Annie E. Casey Foundation , p28 )
20% of children were living in poverty, compared to 20% in 1990, and
26% of children lived with parents who did not have full-time, year-round employment.
( The Annie E. Casey Foundation , p29 )
The Current Population Survey found the following for 6-8 year olds in 1999:
Percentage whose mothers had a bachelor's degree or higher:
26.4% of the White population
13.9% of the Black population, and
7.4% of the Hispanic population
Percentage whose mothers had a high school diploma or GED:
35.2% of the White population
37.1% of the Black population, and
25.2% of the Hispanic population
Percentage whose mothers had less than a high school diploma:
6.9% of the White population
19.6% of the Black population, and
49.2% of the Hispanic population
Percentage whose mothers had some college education:
31.4% of the White population
29.5% of the Black population, and
18.2% of the Hispanic population.
( U.S. Department of Education, NCES , p124, Table 5-1 )
In The Right Start State Trends
Conditions of Babies Across America, the following was found in 1998:
Births among teens who were already mothers:
22% of total births in the U.S.
18% of births in the White, non-Hispanic population
27% of births in the Black Hispanic population, and
24% of births in the Hispanic population
Total teen births:
13% of total births in the U.S.
9% of births in the White, non-Hispanic population
22% of births in the Black non-Hispanic population, and
17% of births in the Hispanic population
Total births to unmarried women:
33% of total births in the U.S.
22% of total of births in the White, non-Hispanic population
69% of births in the Black non-Hispanic population, and
42% of births in the Hispanic population
Total births to mothers with less than 12 years of education:
22% of total births in the U.S.
13% of births in the White, non-Hispanic population
27% of births in the Black non-Hispanic population, and
49% of births in the Hispanic population. ( Croan , p12 )
