The
Average American Reader Needs You to Write (Even More) Clearly
Digital
Gov: 5.13.2020 by Dr. Meredith
Larson
When
communicating with the public, we must change our assumptions about their ability
to understand text. This is especially true when the information keeps changing
and is complex, or the stakes are high and people are in crisis.
Over
50% of U.S. adults score below an international benchmark for literacy, with
roughly 20% scoring at the very lowest levels. These adults span all
demographics and are a part of your audience. Don’t assume they’re not.
You
must communicate clearly with your audience. Keep it simple and convenient, and
use plain language. Present the most important information you want to convey
first. Get feedback from your readers on whether they understand the information
you’re trying to convey.
Background
The Program for the International
Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is an international, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) study used to assess the skills of literacy,
numeracy, and digital problem solving in adults between the ages of 16 and 65.
After collecting information on how their country’s population is performing,
leaders can better target and help their people get access to the resources
they need.
Basic
Skills Assessed
PIAAC
is designed to assess adults in different countries over a broad range of
abilities, from simple reading to complex problem-solving skills. A country can
check how its population stands in relation to the rest of the participating
countries.
PIAAC
has four domains:
1.
Literacy
“Literacy
is understanding, evaluating, using, and engaging with written text to
participate in the society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s
knowledge and potential.” PIAAC Literacy Domain
Page.
2.
Numeracy
“The ability to access, use, interpret, and communicate mathematical information and ideas, to engage in and manage mathematical demands of a range of situations in adult life.” PIAAC Numeracy Domain Page.
Literacy
and Numeracy has a 5-point scale.
We
might consider adults scoring Below Level 1 and Level 1 “at
risk”, and Level 2 may be “struggling.”
For
Literacy and Numeracy, Level 3 should be sufficient for participation
in modern economies.
The
Skill Scales: Literacy and Numeracy
Below
Level 1: Locate a single piece of information in familiar texts.
Level
1: Read relatively short digital print or mixed texts to locate single text.
Level
2: Make matches between text and information that may require low level
paraphrasing and drawing low-level inferences.
Level
3: Identify, interpret, or evaluate one or more pieces of information and often
require varying levels of inference.
Level
4: Perform multiple-step operations to integrate, interpret, or synthesize
information from complex texts, and may require complex inferences.
Level
5: Integrate information across multiple dense texts; construct syntheses,
ideas or points of view; or evaluate evidence based arguments.
3.
Digital Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments
“Using digital technology, communication tools, and networks to acquire and evaluate information, communicate with others, and perform practical tasks.” PIAAC Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments Domain Page.
Digital
Problem Solving has a 3-point scale.
For
Digital Problem Solving, Level 2 should be sufficient for
participation in modern economies.
The
Skill Scales: Digital Problem Solving
Level
0: One-step or simple problem (“Click on Help tab”).
Level
1: Sorting emails into existing folders.
Level
2: Using website to return item.
Level
3: Navigating multiple pages to find a form, etc.
4.
Reading Components
“Focuses on elements of reading that are comparable across the range of languages in the participating countries: reading vocabulary, sentence comprehension, and basic passage comprehension.” PIAAC Reading Components Domain Page.
00:00 Intro
05:00 The
Skill Scales: Literacy and Numeracy
08:45
Examples
10:45 United
States Statistics
15:20
Demographics for struggling individuals
22:00 Skills
predicting information seeking behavior
22:45 What
low literacy correlates with
23:40 Adult
levels
24:55 How to
make things better for people
31:40
Specific things you can try
36:00 resources
This
presentation (PDF, 3.6 MB, 51 pages), crafted by Dr. Meredith Larson of the U.S. Department of Education,
offers detailed information on literacy skills of U.S. adults, including digital
literacy, and the implications for communicating with the public.
Hosted by Plain Language Community of Practice and Digital.gov
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