#also PIAAC being kind of the Big Source for this it's relevant once again that OP clearly wasn't using them as the primary source for
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serpentinegraphite Β· 1 year ago
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Okay, I'm having trouble matching sources for all of OP's claims.
I'm certainly not calling OP a liar or claiming that American Education Is Good, Actually, because I'm pretty familiar with the commonly cited statistic that American adults can't read above a 5th grade level (here's a snopes article sourcing some Gallup data and the linked PIAAC data that's a little more readable especially if you're on mobile), but it's worth emphasizing here that:
The PIAAC skills results (i.e., proficiency levels) do not specifically correspond to measures such as grade levels at school. The PIAAC proficiency levels have a use-oriented conception of competency and focus on describing what types of tasks adults at each level can typically do and their ability to apply information from the task to accomplish goals they may encounter in everyday life; for example, identifying a job search result that meets certain criteria.
The PIAAC does test comprehension and proficiency for interpreting data (not just vocab, as many of the replies and reblogs first expected), and while the US is decently behind the top two countries measured this way (Japan and Finland), it's ahead of the international average for this metric.
The second source link also suggests some heavy deficits in how US education teaches children to read (and makes what seem to me compelling arguments for improvements, though I don't specialize in early childhood education and am not familiar enough to judge their relevance), but does not contextualize this or compare it to any kind of international average.
I understand the initial distress of OP's claim that Americans can't read above an elementary school level, but journalists and publications are fully aware of this, and many have guidelines and standards for writing that take that into account (e.g. in my journalism classes, I was told to aim for a 6th grade reading level or lower and shown specific guidelines for how to make information accessible and minimize jargon. The US government and CDC aim specifically for 3rd–5th grade reading levels. The NYT aims higher, and your local publications may vary, but news is meant to be accessible, so the range could be closer to a 5thβ€”9th grade reading level on average). Therefore, it's not at all accurate that people below a 6th grade reading level only have access to TV and video.
More accurately to the PIAAC data, 18% or so might have trouble with being able to read simple articles or web pages, but once again the US meets the PIAAC international average here (23% at literacy level 1 or below).
I've done my best to review the PIAAC data, but I'm simply not finding any backing for the claim that 55% of US adults cannot read long texts at all.
This appears to be a pretty clear misinterpretation of the data.
Quick question, genuine question:
Why on earth does "more than half of US adults under 30 cannot read above an elementary school level" not strike horror into the heart of everyone who hears it?
Are the implications of it unclear????
I'm serious, people keep reacting with a sort of vague dismissal when I point this out, and I want to know why!
If adults in the US cannot read, then the only information they have access to is TV and video, the spaces with the most egregious and horrific misinformation!
If they cannot read, they cannot escape that misinformation.
This obscene lack of literacy should strike fear into every heart! US TV is notoriously horrific propaganda!
Is that???? Not??? Obvious???????
I know this sounds sarcastic, I know it does, but I'm completely serious here. I do not understand where the disconnect is.
#this was a fun research rabbit hole. I think it's not always constructive to take US education as a whole monolith either.#Literacy and education rates can vary pretty severely by region so ymmv pretty severely#and the PIAAC data does go as specific as US county averages#it's also relevant to note that the PIAAC data for the US does go back yearsβ€”but they changed methods a few times#so most of what's on their website is the 2012/2014 and 2017 surveys and is not reflective of the entire history of their data#because the older data might not compare as smoothly given the change in methodology. so I only looked at the recent data.#also the PIAAC website isn't really geared for readability esp on mobile. it's a lot of research jargon so like.#might not be the most accessible reference for trying to share info on tumblr?#also PIAAC being kind of the Big Source for this it's relevant once again that OP clearly wasn't using them as the primary source for#'adults under 30' as their data is divided into 16–24 and 25–34 age brackets.#once again while the PIAAC's info was used to find the elementary school level reading statistic that's not ACTUALLY what they measure#all this to say that the constant barrage of misinfo and poor media literacy is definitely a problem#but it's uh I think a little more complex than 'US early childhood education about reading sucks'#I couldn't find an international statistic or average comparable to the 'below a 6th grade reading level' stat so lmk if anyone has one#6th graders are 11–12 years old on average so that's probably how OP came up with the 'can't read chapter books' line#it's pretty common for US school libraries to sort books by reading level by grade and from my experience#there were definitely chapter books below a 6th grade reading level. e.g. by my school's AR metric PJO was like 4.7#so like. a fourth grade reading level (for ages 8–9) based on difficulty of plot/syntax tho they're obvs marketed to 6th grade or so#american education#not trying to like start a fight with OP or anything but these are very bold claims and they're getting a lot of notes so.
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