Table 507.16.

Percentage of 25- to 65-year-olds who were not assessed in the problem solving in technology-rich environments domain and average scale score and percentage distribution of those who were assessed, by proficiency level and selected characteristics: 2012/2014

[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Selected characteristic	Percent not assessed1		For those who were assessed2
			Average scale score3		Percentage distribution, by proficiency level4
					Below level 1		Level 1		Level 2			Level 3
1	2		3		4		5		6			7
Total	17.7	(0.90)	272	(1.2)	24.3	(1.19)	40.7	(1.19)	30.0		(1.19)	5.1		(0.53)
Sex
Male	18.9	(1.21)	274	(1.7)	24.3	(1.69)	37.8	(1.51)	31.8		(1.55)	6.1		(0.73)
Female	16.6	(0.87)	270	(1.2)	24.2	(1.31)	43.2	(1.70)	28.4		(1.43)	4.2		(0.69)
Age
25 to 34	9.5	(0.91)	283	(1.7)	16.5	(1.46)	38.3	(2.07)	37.0		(1.89)	8.2		(0.98)
35 to 44	13.8	(1.29)	275	(2.0)	22.4	(2.01)	39.4	(2.16)	32.5		(2.20)	5.6		(1.12)
45 to 54	20.0	(1.31)	266	(1.9)	28.7	(2.13)	41.5	(2.31)	26.2		(2.11)	3.6		(0.87)
55 to 65	27.2	(1.59)	261	(2.5)	31.1	(2.38)	44.1	(2.33)	22.7		(2.14)	2.2	!	(0.88)
Race/ethnicity
White	12.7	(0.98)	280	(1.3)	17.8	(1.24)	41.4	(1.49)	34.6		(1.50)	6.3		(0.75)
Black	26.0	(2.05)	245	(2.8)	45.3	(3.48)	41.3	(3.34)	12.3		(2.14)	‡		(†)
Hispanic	41.2	(3.42)	248	(4.2)	44.5	(4.58)	34.4	(4.46)	19.4		(2.85)	‡		(†)
Asian/Pacific Islander	15.1	(3.05)	266	(4.6)	29.8	(4.16)	38.8	(4.53)	27.1		(4.07)	4.4	!	(1.89)
Other5	17.3	(3.69)	264	(6.1)	28.1	(5.83)	44.1	(6.75)	24.6		(6.91)	‡		(†)
Nativity
Born in United States	14.9	(0.86)	275	(1.1)	21.5	(1.10)	41.5	(1.20)	31.5		(1.27)	5.4		(0.60)
Not born in United States	36.9	(2.64)	248	(3.2)	44.4	(3.61)	34.4	(3.39)	18.8		(2.26)	2.3	!	(0.84)
Educational attainment
Less than high school completion	62.2	(2.37)	228	(4.2)	62.2	(5.12)	31.9	(5.08)	5.6	!	(1.82)	#		(†)
High school completion6	20.6	(1.34)	259	(1.6)	33.2	(1.77)	43.8	(1.66)	21.2		(1.50)	1.9		(0.54)
Associate's degree	6.5	(1.17)	274	(2.4)	19.9	(2.56)	45.1	(2.98)	30.6		(3.00)	4.4		(1.22)
Bachelor's degree or higher	5.1	(0.71)	293	(1.5)	9.4	(1.08)	36.5	(1.94)	44.3		(1.83)	9.9		(1.15)
Employment7
Full-time8	13.7	(0.87)	276	(1.5)	21.8	(1.36)	39.6	(1.41)	32.5		(1.52)	6.1		(0.69)
Part-time9	15.5	(1.73)	268	(2.7)	25.8	(2.71)	41.2	(3.21)	29.8		(3.25)	3.2		(0.94)
Unemployed	19.9	(1.81)	261	(2.6)	33.0	(2.87)	42.1	(3.45)	22.3		(2.65)	2.6	!	(0.97)
Not in labor force	36.5	(1.76)	262	(2.3)	31.3	(2.71)	43.8	(2.90)	21.6		(2.35)	3.4	!	(1.24)
Annual earnings10,11
Bottom quintile	21.4	(2.32)	262	(3.9)	31.0	(4.12)	41.0	(3.99)	26.0		(3.57)	3.0	!	(0.94)
Fourth quintile	24.0	(1.82)	261	(2.4)	32.0	(3.65)	42.0	(3.79)	23.0		(2.36)	3.0	!	(0.95)
Third quintile	14.6	(1.80)	268	(2.4)	27.0	(2.37)	41.0	(2.50)	28.0		(2.45)	3.0		(0.85)
Second quintile	7.1	(1.27)	280	(2.2)	17.0	(2.21)	42.0	(2.51)	34.0		(2.74)	7.0		(1.02)
Top quintile	6.0	(1.14)	293	(2.2)	10.0	(1.76)	34.0	(2.47)	45.0		(2.64)	11.0		(1.88)

†Not applicable.

#Rounds to zero.

!Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.

‡Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater.

1 Items on the problem solving in technology-rich environments domain were offered only on computer. This column shows the percentages of 25- to 65-year-old respondents who were not assessed in this domain because they were unable to or elected not to take a computer-based assessment.

2 Results are based on only those respondents who were assessed in the domain of problem solving in technology-rich environments.

3 Scale ranges from 0 to 500.

4 The proficiency levels correspond to the score ranges shown in parentheses: below level 1 (0-240), level 1 (241-290), level 2 (291-340), and level 3 (341-500). For details about the proficiency levels as well as examples of specific tasks at each level, see appendix B of Skills of U.S. Unemployed, Young, and Older Adults in Sharper Focus: Results from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 2012/2014 (NCES 2016-039rev), available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2016/2016039rev.pdf.

5 Includes persons of all other races and those of Two or more races.

6 Includes completion through an equivalency program, such as a GED program.

7 Excludes those who were employed but did not report the number of hours worked per week.

8 Full-time employment is defined as working 35 hours or more per week.

9 Part-time employment is defined as working less than 35 hours per week.

10 Annual earnings were calculated based on monthly earnings, which include bonuses and self-employment income. Excludes those who reported no earnings.

11 The item response rate is below 85 percent. Missing data have not been explicitly accounted for.

NOTE: Results in this table are based on combined data from two rounds of U.S. data collection. The first round, completed in 2012, was the main data collection. The second round, completed in 2014, was a supplemental round, conducted to expand the sample of U.S. adults, allowing for more in-depth analysis. Problem solving in technology-rich environments is defined as "using digital technology, communication tools, and networks to acquire and evaluate information, communicate with others, and perform practical tasks." Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), U.S. PIAAC 2012/2014, retrieved May 9, 2017, from the PIAAC International Data Explorer (https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/ideuspiaac/). (This table was prepared May 2017.)