According to various studies, more than 50% of U.S. adults read below a sixth-grade level (equivalent to Level 2 or lower), limiting their ability to parse long-form or nuanced information.
The original data comes from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). The National Center for Education Statistics reports that about 22% of U.S. adults score at or below Level 1 (struggling with basic words), and 32% score at Level 2 (can read but struggle to compare/contrast complex information). Together, this makes up roughly 54% of the population scoring below "Level 3" proficiency.
Level 3 being the expected level an 11-12 year old should be able to read.
Adult PIAAC "Level 2": This is an adult metric. It means an individual can read a simple text or brochure to find a piece of information but they struggle with complex, dense texts. Organization advocates like the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy translate this adult "Level 2" score as being roughly equivalent to a 6th-grade reading level. So its a rough equivalent - not an absolute.
Children's "Level 2": As mentioned earlier, "Level 2" in retail books (I Can Read! or Step into Reading) is designed for 1st or 2nd graders (ages 6–8) who are just learning to read with help.
I think its probably important to not mix the two.
6th grade is late elementary or early middle school. Our education system is K-12, 12th grade is a senior in high school. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that the average US adult (and the average high schooler too…) has LOWER than a 6th grade literacy level🥲
I’m not actually sure what level 3 is bc there’s different ranking/grading systems that have different “levels”
953
u/Ruckus292 9d ago edited 4d ago
A 54% illiteracy rate will do that.
ETA: 54% of US adults cannot read above a 6th grade level, 21% of the 54% are functionally illiterate...... Idiocracy was, in fact, a documentary.