International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS)

1. International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS)

2. Overview • IALSS Background • What IALSS Measured • NWT IALSS Results • Literacy and the NWT Workplace

3. IALSS Background • In 1994, International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) was conducted. • Did not include the northern territories or Aboriginal populations. • 1n 2003, International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey included the NWT.

4. What Does This Mean For Us? • Before IALSS, the NWT measurement for literacy was self-reported grade levels from census data. • The measurement for low literacy was grade 9 or less. • This usually meant that an individual sat in a grade 9 classroom at one time. • IALSS provided us concrete data on actual adult skill levels.

5. IALSS Definition of Literacy Literacy is using printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential.

6. What IALSS Measured • IALSS measured four adult skill domains on five levels. • Level 5 is the highest level of literacy. • Level 1 is the lowest level of literacy. • Level 3 is considered the international standard for functional literacy.

7. IALSS Skill Levels • Level 1: 0 – 225. • Level 2: 226 – 275. • Level 3: 276 –325. • Level 4: 326 – 375. • Level 5: 376 – 500.

8. IALSS Skill Domains • Prose literacy – using information from texts, such as news stories, brochures and instruction manuals. • Document literacy – using information from a variety of printed materials, such as forms, schedules, charts and maps. • Numeracy – managing the mathematical demands of diverse situations. • Problem solving – goal-directed thinking and actions in situations for which no routine solution exists.

9. Level 1 Numeracy Task Find the total number of bottles.

10. Level 2 Document Literacy Task Identify the country other than the Netherlands in which women teachers are the minority.

11. Level 3 Document Literacy Task Describe the relationship between fireworks sales and injuries.

12. Level 4 Prose Literacy Task Write in your own words one difference between the panel and the group interview.

13. NWT IALSS Results • NWT adult literacy levels were close to the Canadian average in the all skill domains. • IALSS confirmed a wide discrepancy between NWT Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal adult literacy levels in all skill domains and for all age groups.

14. NWT Adult Skill Proficiencies Percentage of NWT adults, 16+, below functional literacy (IALSS level 3)

15. Prose Literacy

16. Document Literacy

17. Numeracy

18. Problem Solving

19. NWT Average Proficiency Scores by Age Group

20. NWT Average Proficiency Scores by Age Group and Ethnicity

21. NWT Average Proficiency Scores by Gender and Ethnicity, 16+

22. NWT Average Proficiency Scores by Educational Attainment, 16+

23. Literacy and the NWT Workplace

24. Percentage of NWT Adults in Occupational Categories by Skill Level

25. Preventing Skills Loss

26. Participation in Training by Skill Level

27. Parting Thoughts • In today’s society, skill demands are constantly increasing. • The polarized concept of people being either “literate” or “illiterate” is now outdated. • Literacy is not so much a matter of whether people can read or not, but rather a matter of how well they can read and use different kinds of information.