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…

The question of whether or not the level of reading competency has declined over the years, is addressed in this report. The study attempts to determine whether there is sufficient data to answer the question and to decide if the available factual information allows an answer to the question posed. Chapter one, describing the first phase of the…

Reviews research on the average reading level in the United States, on how well the average American needs to read, and on what the average American can and does read. (MKM)

This article proposes a four-component framework for understanding the literacy of individuals with visual impairments, and defines two levels of literacy--basic (or academic) and functional (or practical) literacy. Implications are drawn for development of self-advocacy skills, development of standards for judging literacy in this population, and…

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…

Examines the relationship between level of schooling and literacy attainment in four rural communities in Guatemala. The authors first identify the grade at which most children become literate and then estimate the net contribution of schooling to literacy. They found that most children became literate with between three and four years of…

As part of the development of a functional literacy test for fourth through eigth grade children in Title I compensatory education programs, this report defines functional literacy for children and enumerates criteria for evaluating existing tests. Criteria for selection of a test include: (1) content, empirical, and construct validity; (2)…

This handbook is designed to give background information on the Mini-Assessment of Functional Literacy, a criterion-referenced test designed to determine the extent of functional literacy among seventeen year olds in America. The five format categories identified for the test were passages; drawings, pictures, signs, etc.; charts, maps, graphs;…

Through the administration of standardized tests, questionnaires, and an inventory of educational progress designed to assess the application of skills, an effort is made to analyze the literacy, functional literacy, and factors related to achievement in a population of 181 eighth-grade students selected from an inner-city population and a…

Evaluates "The Reading Report Card" and application of Reading Proficiency Scale to that report with 1984-85 data on reading ability in adults between ages 21 and 25. Also discusses reading trends in relation to different segments of population and in terms of where decreases and increases in reading ability have occurred between 1974…

Two bills concerning national reading programs were the subjects of a hearing held in Washington, D. C. on November 13, 1975, by the Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary, and Vocational Education of the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives. H. R. 9048 is a bill to provide federal assistance for the distribution of…

This report recommends that an annual report be made to the citizens of Florida about the state of literacy in Florida. The concept of literacy is defined in terms of levels of literacy and basic skills required to achieve the different levels. A review of the literature on literacy is the basis for three suggested levels of literacy: (1)…