IALS

The International Adult Literacy Survey, a twenty-country comparative study of adult literacy in the workplace, highlighted the lack of basic skills in employed people in the U.S. and other highly developed countries. 

Results from the IALS study show that more than 40% of American adults lack enough of these basic literacy skills to perform most jobs adequately.

- The Conference Board, 1999

For employers, this means that many employees at every level in their organizations need help to improve their basic skills in order to do their jobs well.

IALS defines 'literacy' as a particular capacity and mode of behavior:

the ability to understand and employ printed information in daily activities, at home, at work and in the community - to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential.

IALS identified three distinct literacy types:

Prose literacy -- the knowledge and skills needed to understand and use information from texts including editorials, news stories, poems and fiction.

Document literacy -- the knowledge and skills needed to locate and use information contained in various formats, including job applications, payroll forms, transportation schedules, maps, tables, and graphs.

Quantitative Literacy -- the ability to work with numbers and conduct quantitative operations, such as balancing a checkbook, figuring out a tip, completing an order form, or determining interest on a loan.

For more information on IALS, visit http://www.oecd.org/els/education/literacy

* Update on IALS: ALL

The Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALL), an international comparative study, provides participating countries with information about the skills of their adult populations. In 2003, ALL measured the literacy and numeracy skills of a nationally representative sample of 16- to 65-year olds from Bermuda, Canada, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, and the United States.
     URL: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/all/issuebrief.asp

For problems or questions regarding this web site contact campbell@conferenceboard.ca.
Last updated: June 24, 2005.