National Institute for Literacy - Facts & Statistics

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LITERACY ARCHIVED CONTENT

Reading Facts

Children's Reading Proficiency and Their Parents' Educational Level
Reading Scores
Reading Habits
The Relationship Between Reading and Literacy

The Relationship Between Reading and Literacy

Reading is considered in the Reading First section of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 to mean "a complex system of deriving meaning from print that requires all of the following: (a) The skills and knowledge to understand how phonemes, or speech sounds, are connected to print; (b) The ability to decode unfamiliar words; (c) The ability to read fluently; (d) Sufficient background information and vocabulary to foster reading comprehension; (e) The development of appropriate active strategies to construct meaning from print; and (f) The development and maintenance of a motivation to read."

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the National Literacy Act of 1991 define literacy as "an individual's ability to read, write, speak in English, compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual and in society." This is a broader view of literacy than just an individual's ability to read, the more traditional concept of literacy.

Reading Scores
Ages 1-2 Kindergartners and First Grade Students Ages 9-17 Adults

Ages 1-2

A literacy promotion study, conducted in a primary care setting in 1996-97 with a multicultural group of low-income families and their children aged 13-25 months, found that the children in the intervention group had higher receptive and expressive vocabulary scores than children in the control group:

Children in the intervention group had an average receptive vocabulary score of 51.0, based on 100 words, compared to 39.3 for the control group.
Children in the intervention group had an average expressive vocabulary score of 22.1, based on 100 words, compared to 15.9 for the control group.
(High, p931, Table 3)

Kindergartners and First Grade Students

By the spring of kindergarten, children should be able to recognize the letters of the alphabet "quickly and effortlessly," and understand the letter-sound relationship at the beginning and end of words. By the spring of first grade, most children should be recognizing words by sight and comprehending words in the context of simple sentences.
(National Academy Press 1998 and Committee on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children 1998, cited in Denton, p10)

The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study assessed children's reading skills as they entered kindergarten in the fall of 1998, kindergarten in the spring of 1999, and first grade in spring 2000. They found that at the start of kindergarten in the fall:

67% had letter recognition skills, this increased to 95% of children in the spring of their kindergarten year, and 100% by the spring of their first grade year,
31% could understand the letter-sound relationship at the beginning of words, this increased to 74% of children in the spring of their kindergarten year, and 98% by the spring of their first grade year,
18% could understand the letter-sound relationship at the end of words, this increased to 54% of children in the spring of their kindergarten year, and 94% by the spring of their first grade year,
3% had sight-word recognition skills, this increased to 14% of children in the spring of their kindergarten year, and 83% by the spring of their first grade year, and
1% could understand words in context, this increased to 4% of children in the spring of their kindergarten year, and 48% by the spring of their first grade year.
(Denton, p11, Figure 1)

Children from more disadvantaged backgrounds (e.g., less than high school maternal education) are closing gaps in basic skills (i.e., recognizing their letters and counting beyond 10). However, these same children lag further behind their more advanced classmates when it comes to gaining more sophisticated reading and mathematics knowledge and skills (i.e., recognizing words by sight). In fact, the gap has widened.
(West, p16)

The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study compared the reading skills of children who could recognize their letters at the start of kindergarten with those who could not. They found that in the spring of the first grade (2000), of the children who had letter recognition skills at the start of kindergarten in the fall 1998:

99% understood the letter-sound relationship at the beginning of words, compared to 95% of children who did not have letter recognition skills at the start of kindergarten,
98% understood the letter-sound relationship at the ending of words, compared to 87% of children who did not have letter recognition skills at the start of kindergarten,
92% had sight-word recognition skills, compared to 63% who did not have letter recognition skills at the start of kindergarten, and
60% understood words in context, compared to 21% who did not have letter recognition skills at the start of kindergarten.
(Denton, p19, Figure 6)

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Ages 9-17

The ability to read and understand complicated information is important to success in college and, increasingly, in the workplace. An analysis of the NAEP long-term trend reading assessments reveals that only half of all White 17 year olds, less than one-quarter of Latino 17 year olds, and less than one-fifth of African American 17 year olds can read at this level.

By age 17, only about 1 in 17 seventeen year olds can read and gain information from specialized text, for example the science section in the local newspaper. This includes:

1 in 12 White 17 year olds,
1 in 50 Latino 17 year olds, and
1 in 100 African American 17 year olds.
(Haycock, p5)

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The Longitudinal Evaluation of School Change and Performance (LESCP) in Title I Schools, 1996-1999, found that school poverty had a negative effect on student achievement. Students in the Title I Schools had average reading SAT-9 scores of 602 in third grade and 640 in fifth grade, compared with national norms of 614 in third grade and 654 in fifth grade.

Also, students who lived in poverty (i.e., were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch) did significantly worse initially on reading tests than other students in the sample. They had a third grade reading score 6.1 points below the average for the sample, and they would make gains at an average pace, neither closing the gap nor falling further behind in reading.
(Westat, p9)

The 1999 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) long-term reading assessment found that:

Average reading scores for 9 year olds increased during the 1970s. Since 1980, there has been no further improvement in scores; however, the average score in 1999 was higher than in 1971.
Average reading scores for 13 year olds increased during the 1970s. Since 1980, scores have fluctuated; however, the average score in 1999 was higher than in 1971.
Average reading scores for 17 year olds from 1984 to 1992 were higher than in 1971. A slight increase in average scores between 1971 and 1999 was not statistically significant.
(Campbell, px)

The 1999 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) long-term reading assessment found that:

93% of 9 year olds were at or above performance reading level 150,
64% were at or above reading level 200, and
16% were at or above reading level 250.
93% of 13 year olds were at or above performance reading level 200,
61% were at or above reading level 250, and
15% were at or above reading level 300.
82% of 17 year olds were at or above performance reading level 250,
40% were at or above reading level 300, and
6% were at or above reading level 350.
(Campbell, p21, Figure 1.5)

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In the National Assessment of Educational Programs (NAEP) 2000 national assessment of fourth-graders' reading ability:

37% were below the reading achievement Basic level,
31% were within the Basic level,
24% were within the Proficient level, and
8% were within the Advanced level.
(Donahue, p15, Figure 1.4)

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The 2000 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) focused on 15-year-olds' capabilities in reading literacy.

On a combined reading literacy scale, U.S. 15 year olds performed about as well on average as most of the 27 participating OECD countries.

Students in Finland, Canada, and New Zealand outperformed U.S. students.
U.S. students performed at the same levels as students in 19 other OECD countries.
U.S. students performed better on average than students from Greece, Portugal, Luxembourg, and Portugal.
(NCES, 2002, p4)

On the reading subscale retrieving information:

Students in Finland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the Republic of Korea outperformed U.S. students.
U.S. students performed at the same levels as students in 17 other countries.
U.S. students performed better on average than students from Portugal, Greece, Luxembourg, and Mexico.

On the reading subscale interpreting texts:

Students in Finland and Canada outperformed U.S. students.
U.S. students performed at the same levels as students in 20 other countries.
U.S. students performed better on average than students from Greece, Portugal, Luxembourg, and Mexico.

On the reading subscale reflecting on texts:

Students in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Finland outperformed U.S. students.
U.S. students performed at the same levels as students in 16 other countries.
U.S. students performed better on average than students from Hungary, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Mexico, and Luxembourg.
(NCES, 2002, p5, Figure 3)

Adults

The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) 1994-98, found that for the United States population aged 16-65:

14.0% of the native-born population, aged 16-65, was at prose literacy level 1, compared to 63.7% of the second-language foreign born.
27.3% were at prose level 2, compared to 17.0% of the second-language foreign born.
35.0% were at prose level 3, compared to 13.5% of the second-language foreign born.
23.7% were at prose level 4/5, compared to 5.9% (unreliable) of the second-language foreign born.
(Tuijnman, p45)

The International Adult Literacy Survey, 1994-95, also found the following international comparisons of the prose literacy levels of the adult population, aged 16-65:

Level 1 - 20.7% in the United States, compared to:

42.6% - Poland
22.6% - Ireland
21.8% - United Kingdom
19.3% - Switzerland (German)
18.4% - Belgium (Flanders)
18.4% - New Zealand
17.6% - Switzerland (French)
17.0% - Australia
16.6% - Canada
14.4% - Germany
10.5% - Netherlands
7.5% - Sweden

Level 2 - 25.9% in the United States, compared to:

35.7% - Switzerland (German)
34.5% - Poland
34.2% - Germany
33.7% - Switzerland (French)
30.3% - United Kingdom
30.1% - Netherlands
29.8% - Ireland
28.2% - Belgium (Flanders)
27.3% - New Zealand
27.1% - Australia
25.6% - Canada
20.3% - Sweden

Level 3 - 32.4% in the United States, compared to:

44.1% - Netherlands
39.7% - Sweden
39.0% - Belgium (Flanders)
38.6% - Switzerland (French)
38.0% - Germany
36.9% - Australia
36.1% - Switzerland (German)
35.1% - Canada
35.0% - New Zealand
34.1% - Ireland
31.3% - United Kingdom
19.8% - Poland

Level 4/5 - 21.1% in the United States, compared to:

32.4% - Sweden
22.7% - Canada
19.2% - New Zealand
18.9% - Australia
16.6% - United Kingdom
15.3% - Netherlands
14.3% - Belgium (Flanders)
13.5% - Ireland
13.4% - Germany
10.0% - Switzerland (French)
8.9% - Switzerland (German)
3.1% - Poland
(OECD, p151)

Reading Habits
Ages 1-2 Kindergartners First Grade Students Ages 9-17 Adults

Ages 1-2

A literacy promotion study, conducted in 1996-97 in a primary care setting with a multicultural group of low-income families, found that:

Intervention parents read to their child at bedtime 3.4 nights a week, compared to 2.1 nights by the control group.
Intervention parents read to their child 4.3 days a week, compared to 2.8 days by the control group.
78% of intervention parents read to their child three or more times a week, compared to 46% of the control group.
61% of the children in the intervention families had more than ten books, compared to 45% in the control group.
(High, p931)

Kindergartners and First Grade Students

Facts for Kindergartners and First Grade Students can be found on the Parental Involvement in Learning Fact Sheet

Ages 9-17

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1999 long-term reading assessment found that reading for fun had a positive relationship to average scores. At all three ages, students who said they read for fun scored higher than peers who said they never read for fun.

The 10% of 9-year old students who never read for fun could perform at level 150, while students who read for fun monthly or more frequently could perform at level 200.
The 9% of 13-year-old students who never read for fun could perform at level 200, while students who read for fun yearly or more frequently could perform at level 250.
The 75% of 17-year-old students who read for fun weekly or less frequently could perform at level 250, while students who read for fun daily could perform at level 300.
(Campbell, p76, Figure 3.25)

Score description ...

The NAEP 1999 long-term reading assessment also found a positive relationship between students' average reading scores and how many different types of reading materials, newspapers, magazines, books, and an encyclopedia, they had at home.

9-year-old students who had 0-4 different types of reading material at home could all perform at level 200; the 26% of students with 4 types of reading material at home outperformed the students with less than 4 types.
The 21% of 13-year-old students who had 0-2 different types of reading material at home could perform at level 200, while students who had 3-4 types of reading material at home could perform at level 250.
17-year-old students who had 0-4 different types of reading material at home could all perform at level 250; the 52% of students with 4 types of reading material at home outperformed the students with less than 4 types.
(Campbell, p75, Figure 3.23)

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A comparison of 3 decades of long-term reading assessments found that:

The number of different types of reading material in the home has decreased at all three ages between 1971 and 1999.
A smaller percentage of 13 and 17 year olds read for fun daily in 1999 than in 1984. There was no significant change in the frequency of reading for fun among 9 year olds.
A smaller percentage of 17 year olds saw adults reading in their homes in 1999 than in 1984.
A greater percentage of 17 year olds were watching 3 or more hours of television each day in 1999 than in 1978. A smaller percentage of 9 and 13 year olds were watching 6 or more hours of television each day in 1999 than in 1978.
(Campbell, pxviii)

The NAEP 2000 national reading assessment of fourth-grade students found the following:

Reading for fun had a positive relationship to performance on the NAEP reading scores. The 87% of students who reported reading for fun on their own time once a month or more performed at the Proficient level, while students who never or hardly ever read for fun performed at the Basic level. Students who read for fun every day scored the highest.
(Donahue, p55, Table 3.5)
Findings also showed higher than average scores among students who reported more types of reading material at home. The 68% of students who had three or more different types of reading materials at home performed at the Proficient level, while students who had two or fewer types of reading material at home performed at the Basic level. Students who had 4 types of reading material at home performed the highest.
(Donahue, p59, Table 3.7)
Students who discussed their studies at home, however frequently, had higher average reading scores than students who reported never discussing their studies at home. The 83% of students who discussed their studies once a month or more at home performed at the Proficient level, compared to students who never or hardly ever discussed their studies at home and performed at the Basic level.
(Donahue, p57, Table 3.6)
Results from the NAEP assessment also show that watching many hours of TV has a negative relationship to reading performance. The 18% of students who reported watching six hours or more of television each day performed at the Basic level, while students who watched 5 hours or less a day performed at the Proficient level. Students who said they watch three hours or less a day scored the highest.
(Donahue, p61, Table 3.8)

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Adults

According to the 1999 National Household Education Survey, 50% of the population aged 25 and over read a newspaper at least once a week, read one or more magazines regularly, and had read a book in the past 6 months.
(Wirt, p132, Table 15-1)

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In the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey, 29% of respondents at prose Level 1 reported not being able to read, compared to 3% at Level 2.
(Kirsch, p20)
23% of respondents at Level 1 reported getting help from family members or friends on everyday literacy tasks involving printed information, compared to 8% at Level 2.
(Kirsch, p25)

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Children's Reading Proficiency and Their Parents' Educational Level

The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study compared first time kindergartners' reading proficiency in the fall of 1998, in relation to their mother's educational level.

66% of kindergartners passed the letter recognition reading proficiency level. This can be broken down as follows:

38% who had mothers with less than a high school diploma (14% of kindergartners),
57% who had mothers with a high school diploma or equivalent (30% of kindergartners),
69% who had mothers with some college education, including vocational/technical (31% of kindergartners), and
86% who had mothers with a bachelor's degree or higher (22% of kindergartners).

29% of kindergartners passed the beginning sounds reading proficiency. This can be broken down as follows:

9% who had mothers with less than a high school diploma (14% of kindergartners),
20% who had mothers with a high school diploma or equivalent (30% of kindergartners),
30% who had mothers with some college education, including vocational/technical (31% of kindergartners), and
50% who had mothers with a bachelor's degree or higher (22% of kindergartners).

17% of kindergartners passed the ending sounds reading proficiency level. This can be broken down as follows:

4% who had mothers with less than a high school diploma (14% of kindergartners),
11% who had mothers with a high school diploma or equivalent (30% of kindergartners),
17% who had mothers with some college education, including vocational/technical (31% of kindergartners), and
32% who had mothers with a bachelor's degree or higher (22% of kindergartners).

2% of kindergartners passed the sight-word reading proficiency level. This can be broken down as follows:

Less than 0.5% who had mothers with less than a high school diploma (14% of kindergartners),
1% who had mothers with a high school diploma or equivalent (30% of kindergartners),
2% who had mothers with some college education, including vocational/technical (31% of kindergartners), and
6% who had mothers with a bachelor's degree or higher (22% of kindergartners).

1% of kindergartners passed the words in context reading proficiency level. This can be broken down as follows:

Less than 0.5% who had mothers with less than a high school diploma (14% of kindergartners),
Less than 0.5% who had mothers with a high school diploma or equivalent (30% of kindergartners),
1% who had mothers with some college education, including vocational/technical (31% of kindergartners), and
2% who had mothers with a bachelor's degree or higher (22% of kindergartners).
(West, 2001, p6, Table 1 and p23, Table 6)

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The NAEP 1999 long-term assessment found a positive relationship between children's reading scores and the educational level of their parents. At all three ages, children with parents who had some education after high school had the highest reading scores.

The average reading scale scores of 9 year olds whose parents:

did not graduate from high school was 199,
graduated from high school was 206, and
had some education after high school was 220.

The average reading scale scores of 13 year olds whose parents:

did not from graduate high school was 238,
graduated from high school was 251, and
had some education after high school was 270.

The average reading scale scores of 17 year olds whose parents:

did not graduate from high school was 265,
graduated from high school was 274, and
had some education after high school was 297.
(Campbell, p46, Figure 2.10)

Score description ...
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