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Digest of Education Statistics
2019 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


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: 2017
[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 15.0   (0.88) 272   (1.3) 26   (1.6) 37   (1.8) 31   (1.2) 7   (0.8)
Sex                                    
Male 17.1   (1.31) 275   (2.0) 25   (2.1) 34   (2.1) 32   (2.1) 8   (1.2)
Female 13.1   (0.91) 270   (1.6) 26   (2.0) 40   (2.3) 29   (1.6) 5   (0.8)

Age
                                   
25 to 34 7.4   (0.92) 286   (2.6) 18   (2.4) 34   (2.4) 38   (2.5) 10   (2.1)
35 to 44 10.4   (1.21) 281   (2.3) 18   (2.0) 38   (3.2) 36   (2.5) 8   (1.6)
45 to 54 17.7   (1.35) 263   (2.3) 31   (3.3) 39   (3.4) 26   (2.4) 4   (1.1)
55 to 65 23.9   (1.71) 258   (2.7) 37   (3.4) 39   (3.4) 21   (2.1) 3 ! (0.9)

Race/ethnicity
                                   
White 12.0   (0.95) 278   (1.4) 22   (1.8) 38   (2.2) 33   (1.5) 8   (0.9)
Black 24.9   (2.05) 246   (3.3) 46   (4.1) 37   (3.7) 15   (2.7) 2 ! (0.9)
Hispanic 26.1   (3.76) 268   (4.4) 30   (4.5) 33   (4.3) 31   (3.6) 6 ! (2.4)
Asian/Pacific Islander 12.6   (3.32) 277   (6.0) 23   (5.5) 35   (7.4) 35   (6.0) 8 ! (3.9)
Other5 21.1   (4.14) 264   (3.6) 27   (5.8) 49   (7.2) 21   (5.5)   (†)

Nativity
                                   
Born in United States 14.0   (0.88) 274   (1.3) 24   (1.5) 37   (1.8) 32   (1.4) 7   (0.8)
Not born in United States 26.6   (3.46) 261   (3.6) 36   (4.5) 35   (5.0) 24   (3.4) 5 ! (2.3)

Educational attainment
                                   
Less than high school completion 51.2   (3.82) 231   (4.9) 59   (7.6) 35   (7.9)   (†)   (†)
High school completion6 19.7   (1.42) 255   (2.0) 39   (2.8) 39   (3.2) 20   (2.1) 3 ! (0.9)
Associate's degree 9.6   (2.02) 262   (2.7) 30   (4.8) 46   (6.4) 22   (3.7)   (†)
Bachelor’s or higher degree 5.4   (0.80) 290   (1.7) 13   (1.4) 35   (2.2) 41   (1.8) 11   (1.5)

Employment7
                                   
Full-time8 12.8   (1.12) 277   (1.5) 22   (1.6) 37   (2.0) 34   (1.6) 7   (1.0)
Part-time9 12.1   (1.57) 272   (3.1) 26   (2.8) 39   (3.1) 28   (3.3) 7   (1.9)
Unemployed 16.7   (4.27) 271   (8.2) 28 ! (10.5) 35   (9.8) 29   (8.2)   (†)
Not in labor force 30.6   (2.40) 252   (3.8) 41   (4.2) 38   (4.0) 18   (2.7) 3 ! (1.3)

Annual earnings10
                                   
Bottom quintile 21.5   (3.01) 265   (4.1) 30   (4.5) 38   (4.2) 29   (4.1) 4 ! (1.9)
Fourth quintile 18.6   (2.38) 265   (3.3) 31   (3.8) 39   (3.8) 25   (4.0) 5 ! (1.9)
Third quintile 11.7   (1.97) 272   (3.1) 27   (3.4) 39   (3.7) 28   (3.6) 7   (1.6)
Second quintile 6.4   (1.22) 283   (2.3) 17   (2.9) 37   (3.7) 39   (3.4) 7 ! (2.1)
Top quintile 5.8   (1.15) 291   (2.7) 13   (2.4) 31   (3.9) 44   (3.7) 12   (2.1)
†Not applicable.
!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 the 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 https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/pstreproficiencylevel.asp.
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.
NOTE: 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 2017, retrieved May 26, 2020, from the PIAAC International Data Explorer (https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/ideuspiaac/); and unpublished tabulations. (This table was prepared May 2020.)

2019 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest