The results from international assessments of adult literacy and numeracy skills Juliette Mendelovits CEET 17th Annual National Conference Friday 1 November 2013 Monash Conference Centre, Melbourne What’s the adult L&N story?

A literacy deficit Half of all adults in Tasmania cannot read or write properly, and many of their children are following in their footsteps as badly needed school reforms are frustrated. Sarah Dingle investigates. A report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics for shows half of all Tasmanians aged 15 to 74 are functionally illiterate, and more than half are functionally innumerate— meaning they don’t have the skills needed to get by in the modern world, like filling out forms, or reading the instructions on their prescription. ABC Radio National, Background Briefing, Sunday 22 September 2013

WHAT’S BEHIND THE HEADLINES?

Tasmanian 'illiteracy' and 'innumeracy' levels 15 to 74 year olds ALLS 2006Below Level 3 Tasmania51% PIAAC Below Level 3 Tasmania49% PIAAC Below Level 3 Tasmania58% ALLS 2006Below Level 3 Tasmania56% Document literacy Literacy Numeracy ALLS PIAAC

Australian 'illiteracy' and 'innumeracy' levels ALLS 2006Below Level 3 Tasmania51% Victoria49% Australia47% PIAAC Below Level 3 Tasmania49% Victoria46% Australia44% ALLS 2006Below Level 3 Tasmania58% Victoria54% Australia55% ALLS 2006Below Level 3 Tasmania56% Victoria54% Australia53% Document literacy Literacy Numeracy

According to ALLs [and PIAAC?] About 50% of Australian adults are functionally illiterate and innumerate How can this be true?

What does ‘below Level 3’ mean? According to the international ALLS reports, Level 3 is  ‘a suitable minimum level for coping with the increasing demands of the emerging knowledge society and information economy’

A Level 2 literacy item from PIAAC Level 2 literacy description (226 to 275 points) At this level, the medium of texts may be digital or printed, and texts may comprise continuous, non-continuous, or mixed types. Tasks at this level require respondents to make matches between the text and information, and may require paraphrasing or low-level inferences. Some competing pieces of information may be present. Some tasks require the respondent to cycle through or integrate two or more pieces of information based on criteria; compare and contrast or reason about information requested in the question; or navigate within digital texts to access and identify information from various parts of a document.

A Level 3 numeracy item from PIAAC Level 3 numeracy description (276 to 325 points) Tasks at this level require the respondent to understand mathematical information that may be less explicit, embedded in contexts that are not always familiar and represented in more complex ways. Tasks require several steps and may involve the choice of problem-solving strategies and relevant processes. Tasks tend to require the application of number sense and spatial sense; recognising and working with mathematical relationships, patterns, and proportions expressed in verbal or numerical form; and interpretation and basic analysis of data and statistics in texts, tables and graphs.

PIAAC: an overview The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) An international survey of adults years of age (15 to 74 year olds in Australia) Commissioned by the OECD, implemented internationally by a consortium led by Educational Testing Service (ETS) (USA) Administered in Australia by the ABS Measures the domains of literacy (reading) numeracy problem solving in technology-rich environments (PSTRE) Modes of administration paper and pen computer Administered in 25 OECD countries (including Australia) and sub- national entities in Comparable with the results of the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey ??

Results from PIAAC Means for Australia and selected participating countries Literacy Mean scale score Numeracy Mean scale score PSTRE % at Level 2 or 3 Australia Canada England/ N.Ireland Japan Korea United States Average Level 2: 226 to 275 points Level 3: 276 to 325 points

Results from PIAAC % at each literacy level for Australia and selected participating countries Below Level 1Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4/5 Australia Canada England / N.Ireland Japan Korea United States Average

CONSTRUCTION OF THE LITERACY AND NUMERACY REPORTING SCALES

Items and test-takers are placed on the same scale | X| | X| 2 XX| XX|7 XX| XXX|34 XXX|19 XXXX|23 1 XXXXXX|12 XXXXXX| XXXXX|11 22 XXXXXX| XXXXXXX| XXXXXXX| XXXXXXXX| XXXXXXXXXX|8 16 XXXXXXX|9 31 XXXXXXXXX|3 XXXXXXXX|18 25 XXXXXXXX|13 -1 XXXXXXX|15 XXXXXXXX| XXXXXX| XXXXXXX| XXXX|24 XXXX| -2 XXXXX| XXX|28 XX|17 XX| X| -3 X| X| | Low Achievers Easy items Difficult items High Achievers

Relationship between difficulty of assessment items and proficiency of adults

Anchoring of tests The Rasch model derives comparable scores for two different assessments via the inclusion of 'anchor' items. Anchoring can be used:  across test forms (e.g. Rotated designs)  across populations (e.g. Different countries)  across time (e.g. Different Adult literacy cycles – ALLS and PIAAC)

Example of anchoring between two populations of different ability Different tests Common items Same Scale!

A map of item difficulty and test-takers’ proficiency

Once items and adults are placed on the same scale, proficiency levels are defined | X| | X| 2 XX| XX|7 XX| XXX|34 XXX|19 XXXX|23 1 XXXXXX|12 XXXXXX| XXXXX|11 22 XXXXXX| XXXXXXX| XXXXXXX| XXXXXXXX| XXXXXXXXXX|8 16 XXXXXXX|9 31 XXXXXXXXX|3 XXXXXXXX|18 25 XXXXXXXX|13 -1 XXXXXXX|15 XXXXXXXX| XXXXXX| XXXXXXX| XXXX|24 XXXX| -2 XXXXX| XXX|28 XX|17 XX| X| -3 X| X| | Level 5 Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1 PIAAC literacy Level 1 Most of the tasks at this level require the respondent to read relatively short digital or print continuous, non-continuous, or mixed texts to locate a single piece of information.... PIAAC literacy Level 4 Tasks at this level often require respondents to perform multiple-step operations to integrate, interpret, or synthesise information from complex or lengthy continuous, non-continuous, mixed, or multiple type texts.... Below Level 1 PIAAC literacy Level 2... Tasks at this level require respondents to make matches between the text and information, and may require paraphrasing or low-level inferences. Some competing pieces of information may be present.....

Described literacy levels from PIAAC Level 2... Tasks at this level require respondents to make matches between the text and information, and may require paraphrasing or low-level inferences. Some competing pieces of information may be present.....

WHAT DOES PIAAC TELL US ABOUT THE DISTRIBUTION OF AUSTRALIANS’ SKILLS?

Sex and skills Australians aged 15 to 74

Employment and skills Australians aged 15 to 74

SO WHAT ABOUT THE HEADLINES?

How can all of this be true? According to ALLS about 50% of Australian adults are below the minimum standard of literacy and numeracy According to PISA About 15% of Australian 15-year- olds are below the required standard of reading and maths According to NAPLAN about 6% of Australian Year 9 students are below the required standard of literacy and numeracy NAPLAN PISA ALLS

Comparability of scales? A project sponsored by the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and the Australian Council for Education Research Preliminary findings : Literacy

Questions?