The functional literacy of various groups of 17-year-old students was assessed to discover whether the reading skills which are usually taught in the schools are adequate for functioning in everyday life. Eighty-six test exercises were classified according to the various formats of reading materials they represent and according to the types of…

In 1974, the National Right to Read Effort asked that the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) conduct a Mini-Assessment of Functional Literacy (MAFL) in conjunction with its regular assessment of ten learning areas usually taught in school. The first MAFL was administered to 5,200 17-year-olds statistically selected to represent the…

Education is a complex issue and no sweeping generalizations about it can be made. It follows, therefore, that there can be no simple answer to the student test score decline question. (Editor) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document: Results (Utilization).

Noting that the public's discussion, and most of what has appeared in educationist publications for teachers' discussion, is silent about the practicality of what reasoning is and how to teach it, this paper presents several examples taken from the National Assessment of Educational Progress' (NAEP) "Literacy: Profiles of America's Young…

A study investigated the nature and extent of adult illiteracy and the characteristics of the less literate populations in Philadelphia. Data were collected through 2,197 telephone interviews and 607 personal interviews. The personal interviews involved use of a modified version of the instrument developed by the National Assessment of Educational…

The position that the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) provides a data base that is compatible with various definitions of literacy and standards of competencies and can make a contribution to our understanding of the complex and controversial problem of literacy is supported in this paper. The paper notes that since the NAEP has…

Since colonial times, definitions and estimates of illiteracy in the United States have been debated. The Census Bureau's major indicator is number of years of schooling completed. However, average grade-level attainment is high, whereas estimates of levels of reading ability remain low. In addition, these measures are inadequate for adults. A…

Noting that the demands of literacy have increased and that it is in this context that literacy performance must be evaluated, this book summarizes the most important results of the Young Adult Literacy Assessment, and provides thoughtful analysis of their implications from the standpoint of unemployment, economic competitiveness, the problem of…

Problems and issues in measuring functional literacy are explored through an overview of definitional dilemmas, synopsis of widely known assessments, examination of the concept of ecological validity, and discussion of the impact of concepts of validity on the interpretation of functional literacy test performance. (SK)

According to a National Assessment of Educational Progress report, most American school children have mastered reading and writing fundamentals without learning how to analyze, evaluate, and extend ideas they read and write about. To address this "surface understanding" problem, the report recommends literacy programs aimed at high risk…

This article is devoted to explaining the use and misuse of standardized tests in adult literacy programs. Among the topics covered on that subject are why the tests are of such interest among adult educators: because the authority vested in these tests can determine the way programs are developed, what is taught, the climate of teaching and…

Data generated through the National Assessment of Educational Progress's regular and special reading assessments during the 1970s indicate that the reading performance of historically lower-achieving students has risen considerably. Unfortunately, the significance of the data has not been fully explored by the news media. (PGD)

To obtain evidence on the status of and changes in functional literacy, the National Right-to-Read Effort funded mini-assessments of the functional literacy of 17-year-olds in 1974 and 1975. The exercises were selected by a panel of reading specialists, based on the criteria that the exercises represent the types of reading materials encountered…

Results of a 1977 assessment of the reading abilities of approximately 1,250 adults (26 to 35 years old) are reported in this paper and are compared with results of a similar assessment made in 1971. After discussing a typical comprehension exercise used in the assessment, the paper presents the materials and multiple choice questions used in…

As part of the development of a functional literacy test for fourth through eighth grade children in Title I compensatory education programs, this report enumerates a set of criteria for selecting appropriate tests. The criteria are grouped into six categories: (1) test background; (2) psychometric quality; (3) examinee appropriateness; (4)…