Low Literacy Levels Persist among Adults

Only 13 percent of adults are proficient in prose literacy. 43 percent have only basic or below basic prose literacy, meaning that they are only qualified to perform simple or everyday literacy activities. Before entering postsecondary education, many of these students have to enroll in noncredit remedial courses, which can be expensive, time-intensive, and in many cases, a dead-end for their postsecondary education pursuits.

Source: National Assessment of Adult Literacy. National Center for Education Statistics, 2003.