NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF ADULT LITERACY
(FORMERLY THE NATIONAL ADULT LITERACY SURVEY)
Purpose: Surveys adults age 16 and older to determine levels of literacy in three aspects: prose, document, and quantitative.
NEGP Use: NEGP reports state-by-state changes in adult literacy. The NEGP annual report uses data on prose literacy, the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and use information from texts, newspapers, and fiction.
Administered By: Educational Testing Service (ETS) under contract from the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
Last Administration: 1992; 12 states participated. (An independent survey conducted by the Oregon Progress Board was validated by ETS and used for comparable data.)
Next Administration: 2002
Deadline for Participation: Not yet established
Costs: Not yet determined for 2002; 1992 survey cost participating states $340,000. NCES is examining ways to streamline reporting and reduce state costs.
Options: States will again have the option of drawing larger samples in order to produce state-level estimates.
Contact: Andrew Kolstad
National Center for Education Statistics
555 New Jersey Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20208-5653
202/219-1773
NALS