Tables and Statistics

Writing Proficiency in Fourth, Eighth, and Eleventh Grades, 1989-1990

Students' average proficiency is shown based on item response theory scaling procedures. The progress is estimated on a scale of 0 to 500.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, September 30, 1991.

Literacy Skills of adults, 16 years old and over, by selected characteristics:1992

is the ability to understand and use information contained in various kinds of textual material. A score of 0 to 225 requires the reader to locate a single piece of information in a short text. A score of 226 to 275 requires the reader to locate a single piece of information in the text with several distinctions or to make low-level inferences. A score of 276 to 325 requires the reader to make literal or synonymous matches between the text and information given in the task, or to make low-level inferences. A score of 326 to 375 requires the reader to perform multiple-feature matches and to integrate or synthesize information from complex passages. A score of 376 to 500 requires the reader to search for information in dense text which contains a number of distractors.

reflects the knowledge and skills used to process information from documents. A score of 0 to 225 requires the reader to locate pieces of information based on a literal match. A score of 226 to 275 requires the reader to match a single piece of information among several distractors. A score of 276 to 325 requires the reader to integrate multiple pieces of information from one or more documents. A score of 326 to 375 requires the performance of multiple-feature matches, cycling through documents, and integrating information. A score of 376 to 500 requires the reader to search through complex displays that contain multiple distractors, to make high-level text-base inferences.

is the ability to perform numerical operations in everyday life. A score of 0 to 225 requires the reader to perform a single, relatively simple, arithmetic operation. A score of 226 to 275 requires the reader to perform a single operation using numbers that are either stated in the task or easily located in the material. A score of 276 to 325 requires the reader to use two or more numbers to solve the problem. A score of 326 to 375 requires the reader to perform two or more sequential operations or a single operation in which the quantities are found in different types of displays. A score of 376 to 500 requires the reader to perform multiple operations sequentially. They must extract the features of the problem from the text or rely on background knowledge to determine the quantities or operations needed.

Source: U.S.Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Adult Literacy Survey, Adult Literacy in America, 1992, prepared by Educational Testing Service.

source:U.S Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Adult Literacy Survey, Adult Literacy in America, 1992, prepared by Educational Testing Services.