The International Seminar on Functional Illiteracy and Professional Incompetence as Risk Factors of Modern Civilization and the Role of Adult Continuing Education in Overcoming Them examined the modern problem and definition of illiteracy, the causes of professional illiteracy, measures to eliminate the causes, and recommendations for further…

Adult students of English as a second language (ESL) need to learn how to express in writing what they know how to say. An introductory lesson plan is presented which has helped students put their words into writing. A unit on communicating personal information is developed from the first class meeting's introductions of name, address, occupation,…

Designed to help educators prepare materials for newly literate individuals, this guidebook is comprised of four chapters. The first two chapters provide background material explaining the needs and requirements of newly literate people. Chapter 1 characterizes "post-literacy" materials and services and discusses the role of the…

The purpose of this instrument is to supplement data from the Adult Basic Learning Examination in assessing the functional level of adults in daily situations. It may also be used as a teaching tool for adults requesting tutoring in specific concepts and skills presented in the instrument. This instrument is an informal assessment instrument and…

Presented to Americans and addressed to presidential candidates in this election year, this proposal: (1) identifies the extent of the literacy problem in America; (2) outlines the current efforts to address the problem; (3) discusses the roles of the sectors; and (4) recommends actions for the next administration. The proposal urges an improved…

This testimony presented before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Education, Arts, and Humanities presents an expert's conclusions about the status of reading in the United States. It points to several studies comparing reading achievement scores of students today to scores of students of several years ago; discusses data that are used to…

This instructional resource guide contains a variety of learning activities categorized according to specific instructional objectives for functional writing development. The activities were developed, reviewed, and evaluated by participants in Project Basic of the Maryland public school system. Thirty-eight objectives are arranged under five…

This is a guide designed for professionals who need to assess the literacy ability of adults. The three general categories of literacy skills which are distinguished include generic literacy skills, everyday skills, and job-related skills. Functional literacy has been defined in various ways, therefore, the assessment of it is very difficult. The…

A functional reading program, as distinct from the standard middle school reading program, specifically ensures that all students will acquire the reading skills necessary for survival in our society. Survival reading behaviors to be achieved include the ability to read labels on packages, to locate references in a newspaper, or to translate…

The purposes of this paper are to explore and present various opinions concerning the nature of functional literacy and the questions involved in assessing the extent to which one is or is not functionally literate, and to describe one instrument designed to measure functional literacy. The major sections of the paper provide information on the…

THE EDUCATIONALLY DISADVANTAGED POPULATION (EDP), DEFINED AS THOSE PERSONS 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OVER WHO HAVE NOT COMPLETED EIGHT YEARS OF FORMAL SCHOOLING, CONTAINED AT LEAST 24 MILLION PEOPLE IN 1960. ALTERNATE PLANS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED FOR A VOLUNTARY ADULT BASIC EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR THE EDP, USING A TIME SPAN OF 20 YEARS AND A METHOD FOR…