Literacy Falls for Graduates From College, Testing Finds

[Astronuc]

This is troubling, since the state and federal governements like to tout their successes in education.

The average American college graduate's literacy in English declined significantly over the past decade, according to results of a nationwide test released yesterday.

The National Assessment of Adult Literacy, given in 2003 by the Department of Education, is the nation's most important test of how well adult Americans can read.

The test also found steep declines in the English literacy of Hispanics in the United States, and significant increases among blacks and Asians.

When the test was last administered, in 1992, 40 percent of the nation's college graduates scored at the proficient level, meaning that they were able to read lengthy, complex English texts and draw complicated inferences. But on the 2003 test, only 31 percent of the graduates demonstrated those high-level skills. There were 26.4 million college graduates.

The college graduates who in 2003 failed to demonstrate proficiency included 53 percent who scored at the intermediate level and 14 percent who scored at the basic level, meaning they could read and understand short, commonplace prose texts.

Three percent of college graduates who took the test in 2003, representing some 800,000 Americans, demonstrated "below basic" literacy, meaning that they could not perform more than the simplest skills, like locating easily identifiable information in short prose.

Grover J. Whitehurst, director of an institute within the Department of Education that helped to oversee the test, said he believed that the literacy of college graduates had dropped because a rising number of young Americans in recent years had spent their free time watching television and surfing the Internet.

NY Times, Dec 16, 2005

 

[honestrosewater]

Grover J. Whitehurst, director of an institute within the Department of Education that helped to oversee the test, said he believed that the literacy of college graduates had dropped because a rising number of young Americans in recent years had spent their free time watching television and surfing the Internet.

And the content of what people read or watch on television or the internet is irrelevant? If that isn't what he meant to say, I think they should correct it. And if it is what he meant to say, I'd sure like to hear the explanation. Sheesh, people can use television and the internet to improve their literacy. I wonder if they published a copy of that article on the internet.

 

[Astronuc]

I think Whitehurst was thinking of 'reality TV' or sitcoms like 'Friends', rather than 'The Discovery Channel', 'National Geographic channel', or 'History Channel'. It does seem to be a gross generalization to simply blame falling literacy rates on TV and internet.

On the other hand, if people do not read, they will not improve ready comprehension.

 

[Bystander]

Troubling? Yes.

"... since the state and federal governements like to tout their successes in education." Most govt. "successes" are claimed for public schools --- college and university level education is funded to various degrees by fed. and state govts., but "accreditation" and rankings are "internally" generated by the "academic community." Even more bothersome.

"Credentials" have become a commodity in this country, and to an extent, globally; colleges and universities deal in these commodities for large cash rewards, and quality control went out the window long ago --- once administrators realized that flunking kids out cuts off the cash flow, the underwater basket weaving courses were added, the "Xyz Studies" majors (sociology and anthropology for the innumerate) were recognized, and campuses turned into giant day care centers.

 

[jim mcnamara]

40 years ago, the graduate school I attended required reading proficiency in two foreign languages for the PhD degree - by passing fairly tough ETS exams. My department required me to pass German because at that time a lot of Botanical Literature was still in German.

All foreign language requirements were removed in 1980.

The dumbing down of curricula in the US is not new. My father took the equivalent of freshman analysis in the second year of high school in 1922...in New York City public schools. I still have his report card - B+. He also took Latin and Greek that year. He didn't get a B+ in those subjects. :D

The public schools here in New Mexico only offer AP calc to "acheivers", and then only as a 12th grader. There are no Latin or Greek courses anywhere in the public schools here, AFAIK. Only about 1 in 5 high schools here even has an AP calculus class offered. If a student attends a HS that does not offer the class, he/she is bussed across town.