Appendix A.2. National Assessment of Adult Literacy

The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) was conducted to measure both English literacy and health literacy. The assessment was administered to 19,000 adults (including 1,200 prison inmates) age 16 and over in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Components of the assessment included a background questionnaire, a prison component, the State Assessment of Adult Literacy (SAAL), a health literacy component, the Fluency Addition to NAAL (FAN), and the Adult Literacy Supplemental Assessment (ALSA). The assessment measured literacy directly through the completion of tasks, and results were reported using the following achievement levels: below basic, basic, intermediate, and proficient.

By comparing the 1992 NALS and 2003 NAAL results, NAAL provides an indicator of the progress of adult literacy in the nation.

Further information on NAAL may be obtained from

Sheida White
Assessment Division
Assessment Design and Analysis Program
National Center for Education Statistics
1990 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
Sheida.White@ed.gov
http://nces.ed.gov/naal