The National Assessment of Adult Literacy

The nation’s largest and most comprehensive measure of adults’ literacy performances. The most recent assessment was made in 2003, when more than 19,000 Americans in households and prisons were tested.

When performing the national assessment, the U.S. Department of Education tests three types of literacy:

1. Prose literacy: The ability to understand and use “prose texts” such as news stories, brochures and instruction manuals.

2. Document literacy: The ability to understand and use “noncontinuous texts” such as job applications, maps and drug and food labels.

3. Quantitative literacy: The ability to identify and compute numbers in or out of print material, such as completing an order form or figuring out how much money to leave for a tip.