5% US students lack basic English skills

ELEVEN million U.S. adults — about one in 20 — have such poor English skills that they can’t read a newspaper, understand the directions on a bottle of pills or, in many cases, carry on a basic conversation, says a new federal survey that offers the first peek in more than a decade at the USA’s “non-literate” adult population. Recent immigrants with limited or no English skills account for most of the group, adult education advocates say, but the survey suggests that even the average adult has low skills. Only 13%, for instance, are able to compare viewpoints in two editorials; interpret a table on blood pressure, age and physical activity, or compare the per-ounce costs of two cans of soup. Only 52% could look at a heating bill and figure out that a five-cent-per gallon deduction on a purchase of 140 gallons of oil would yield $7. “It’s a stark snapshot of adult literacy in the 21st century,” said Dale Lipschultz., president of the National Coalition for Literacy. “The implications of the study are really enormous hellip we know that a more literate America will be more competitive and prosperous”. The first comprehensive look at adult literacy since a similar study in 1992, the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, released Thursday in Washington, found that an estimated 30 million adults, or 14%, have “below basic” skills. While blacks’ abilities improved across the board, there were few improvements overall.

—Courtesy USA Today