Media Fact Sheet on Adult Literacy in New York
Adult literacy in the U.S. and in New York
New York’s literacy education programs
How the LAC helps
For more information
Adult literacy in the U.S. and in New York
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released data from the long-awaited 2003 National Assessment of Adult Learning on December 15, 2005. This is the first report on adult learning and literacy since the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS).
Overview of the literacy levels
| Level and definition | Key abilities associated with level | Sample tasks typical of level |
|---|---|---|
| Below Basic indicates no more than the most simple and concrete literacy skills. | Locating easily identifiable information in short, commonplace prose texts. Locating easily identifiable information and following written instructions in simple documents (e.g., charts or forms). Locating numbers and using them to form simple quantitative operations (primarily addition) when the mathematical information is very concrete and familiar. |
Searching a short, simple text to find out what a patient is allowed to drink before a medical test. Signing a form. Adding the amounts on a bank deposit slip. |
| Basic indicates skills necessary to perform simple and everyday literacy activites. | Reading and understanding information in short commonplace prose texts. Reading and understanding information in simple documents. Locating easily identifiable quantitative information and using it to solve simple, one-step problems when the arithmetic operation is specified or easily inferred. |
Finding in a pamphlet for prospective jurors an explanation of how people were selected for the jury pool. Using a television guide to find out what programs are on at a specific time. Comparing the ticket prices for two events. |
| Intermediate indicates skills necessary to perform moderately challenging literacy activites. | Reading and understanding moderately dense, less commonplace prose texts as well as summarizing, making simple inferences, determining cause and effect, and recognizing the author’s purpose. Locating information in dense, complex documents and making simple inferences about the information. Locating less familiar quantitative information and using it to solve problems when the arithmetic operation is not specified or easily inferred. |
Consulting Reference materials to determine which food contains a particular vitamin. Identifying a specific location on a map. Calculating the total cost of ordering specific office supplies from a catalogue. |
| Proficient indicates skills necessary to perform more complex and challenging literacy activities. | Reading lengthy, complex, abstract prose texts as well as synthesizing information and making complex inferences. Integrating, synthesizing, and analyzing multiple pieces of information located in complex documents. Locating more abstract quantitative information and using it to solve multi-step problems when the arithmetic operations are not easily inferred and the problems are more complex. |
Comparing viewpoints in two editorials. Interpreting a table about blood pressure, age, and physical activity. Computing and comparing the cost per ounce of food items. |
Percentage of adults in New York and the nation in each prose, document and quantitative literacy level in 2003
| Below Basic | Basic | Intermediate | Proficient | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prose: New York | 19 | 31 | 40 | 11 |
| Prose: Nation | 14 | 29 | 44 | 13 |
| Document: New York | 13 | 26 | 52 | 9 |
| Document: Nation | 12 | 22 | 53 | 13 |
| Quantitative: New York | 24 | 35 | 31 | 11 |
| Quantitative: Nation | 21 | 33 | 33 | 14 |
Why literacy rates in NYC aren’t getting better
Have New York City literacy levels improved in the decade since the federal study? It’s unlikely. Some of the reasons:
- 38% of New Yorkers are foreign-born (2000 Census).
- 47% of New Yorkers speak a language other than English at home (2000 Census).
- Barely one-third of public school students performed at grade level on the 2001 English Language Arts exams (NYC Department of Education).
- 1.5 to 2 million adults in NYC need literacy services. Fewer than 60,000 receive them (NYC Mayor’s Office).
New York’s literacy education programs
Some 400 publicly funded programs in New York State provide instruction in basic literacy, English for speakers of other languages, and GED (high school equivalency) preparation. In 2003, there were 138,184 students enrolled in those programs; 51,691 of those were in New York City.
- 45% were in adult basic education programs (generally for native speakers of English), 55% in programs in English for speakers of other languages
- 63% were in the bottom three of the six levels of instruction, as defined by federal accountability standards
- 60% were women, 40% men
- 44% were Latino, 24% white, 23% of African descent, and 8% Asian
- 48% were employed, either full-time or part-time, on enrollment
Only 14% of the 10,486 instructors in literacy programs statewide were full-time paid employees. 40% were volunteers, and 46% were part-time employees. The proportion of volunteer instructors is lower in New York City than in the rest of the state. More statistics on New York State’s literacy programs
How the LAC helps
The LAC supports the programs that support the efforts of New York’s low-literate and immigrant adults to improve the quality of their lives. To help raise literacy levels in New York, Literacy Assistance Center services include:
- The statewide multilingual hotline, which offers callers an easy way to choose among more than 400 free programs and find the most convenient and appropriate class
- The statewide record-keeping system that helps literacy programs evaluate their efforts and monitor student progress
- An online citywide directory of more than 150 free family literacy programs, a valuable resource for parents, public school parent coordinators, and social service agencies
- Workshops and other programs for literacy instructors and program managers who want to learn about new research, best practices in the field, and methods for making their efforts even more effective
- A Professional Development Center including a computer lab, where teachers can explore new ways for bring information technology to the classroom, and New York’s most extensive library of adult, youth, and family literacy instructional materials
- A network of literacy programs throughout New York City and State who are in the front lines of the battle against low literacy and inadequate English-language skills
For more information
Contact our executive director, Elyse Barbell Rudoph, 212 803 3351.