What levels of functional literacy can instructors expect from IDA participants?
A 1993 survey of functional adult literacy in America found that 23% of adults demonstrate only the most basic functional literacy skills. Individuals at Level I cannot generally perform arithmetic operations beyond simple addition or locate an intersection on a street map. The next level of functional literacy, Level II, includes 25 – 28% of the adult population. These sobering figures illuminate the education gap in America and suggest that the road to financial literacy and self-sufficiency may be especially difficult for many IDA participants. Of adults in the first category, researchers found that: • 50% were living in poverty • 66% did not complete high school • 25% were immigrants • 26% had physical, mental, or health problems What does it mean to have Level I literacy skills? 21-23% of adults in America demonstrate skills in the lowest level of prose, document, and quantitative proficiencies Adults at this literacy level are generally able to: _ total a bank deposit entry _ pul
