Literacy Matters: EM Messages & Readability Levels Dr. Tom Phelan Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management, Advisory Board 1

The Numbers Don’t Lie U.S.Facts: Adults Over 16 See more at: facts#sthash.lepUzlWg.dpufhttp:// facts#sthash.lepUzlWg.dpuf 2

14% is HUGE CITYPopulation #Adults at or below 5 th Grade Level EM Homepage Readability Grade Level Gap EM to Intended Audience < 5 th Grade 1New York - city8,405,8371,176, Los Angeles ‐ city 3,884,307543, Chicago ‐ city2,718,782380, Houston ‐ city2,195,914307, Philadelphia ‐ city 1,553,165217, Phoenix ‐ city1,513,367211,

29% are at 8 th Grade or Below What are the readability levels of your homepage and emergency notifications? What are the readability levels of the intended audiences of your emergency messages? 4

Research Questions 1.Are emergency managers aware of the range of cognitive skills of adults in their communities in the domains of literacy, numeracy, and computer-based problem solving skills? 2.Is the awareness applied to developing emergency messages to adults in the community at appropriate levels of literacy, numeracy, and computer-based problem solving skills? 3.If a gap exists between emergency managers and their intended audiences, could it be reduced by providing targeted training in literacy, numeracy, and computer- based problem solving skills for emergency managers? 5

Hypotheses H 1 : Awareness of literacy skill level differences and training of emergency managers to address the differences will improve the effectiveness of disaster messages to the public at all levels of literacy. H 0 : Literacy levels are too complex and can’t be addressed by emergency managers. 6

The Flesch Reading Ease Scores : Very Easy : Easy : Fairly Easy : Standard : Fairly Difficult : Difficult 0-29 : Very Confusing 7

Grade Level Scores Reading Ease ScoreSchool Level 90 to 1005 th grade 80 to 906 th grade 70 to 807 th grade 60 to 708 th and 9 th 50 to 6010 th to 12 th 30 to 50college 0 to 30college graduates 8

Commonly Read Materials PublicationReading EaseGrade Level Time5210 th -12th Newsweek5010 th – 12 th Wall Street Journal43College Harvard Business Review43College New York Times39College New York Review of Books35College Harvard Law Review32College Standard auto insurance policy10College Graduate Internal Revenue Codeminus 6Your Accountant/Lawyer 9

EM Home Page Grade Levels 10

Rudolph Flesch ( ) Flesch Reading Ease Formula is considered as one of the oldest and most accurate readability formulas. Rudolph Flesch, an author, writing consultant, and a supporter of the Plain English Movement, developed this formula in Raised in Austria, Rudolph Flesch studied law and earned a Ph.D. in English from the Columbia University. Flesch, through his writings and speeches, advocated a return to phonics. In his article, A New Readability Yardstick, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology in 1948, Flesch proposed the Flesch Reading Ease Readability Formula 11

J. Peter Kincaid Peter Kincaid Graduate Research Professor Ph.D. Human Factors Psychology Ohio State University, 1971 M.A. Experimental Psychology Roosevelt University, 1966 B.A. Psychology, Oberlin College, Phone: Dr. Kincaid's areas of R&D include training systems analysis, instructional technology and human factors. He has 30 years applied research and university teaching experience and currently is a member of the Human Factors Ph.D. faculty and co- director of the Modeling and Simulation graduate program at UCF. Dr. Kincaid received his Ph.D. in human factors from Ohio State University in He is a member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and is Associate Editor for the society's applied research journal, Ergonomics in Design. 12

The Flesch Reading Ease Readability Formula The specific mathematical formula is: RE = – (1.015 x ASL) – (84.6 x ASW) RE = Readability Ease ASL = Average Sentence Length (i.e., the number of words divided by the number of sentences) ASW = Average number of syllables per word (i.e., the number of syllables divided by the number of words) The output, i.e., RE is a number ranging from 0 to 100. The higher the number, the easier the text is to read. Scores between 90.0 and are considered easily understandable by an average 5th grader. Scores between 60.0 and 70.0 are considered easily understood by 8th and 9th graders. Scores between 0.0 and 30.0 are considered easily understood by college graduates. 13

To rewrite a passage to get a higher score… Cut the average sentence length. When it comes to replacing complex words with simple ones, – first aim at words with prefixes and suffixes – Then look for plain language two-word replacements – establishment, available or required. – setting up, in stock or called for – “evacuate” becomes “get out” or “leave” 14

Existing EM Homepage The Jackson County Emergency Management Agency stands ready to RESPOND to incidences when they occur, PREPARE for future threats that may develop, direct RECOVERY programs to save life and property and reduce local threats through MITIGATION programs Our goal at the Jackson County Emergency Management department is the protection of lives and property of Jackson County citizens. Are you prepared for the possible emergencies we face in this section of the country? Navigate our Disaster pages by clicking on our links on the menu above to read about important information about various disasters, what to do in the event of one, and most importantly, how to be prepared for them. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level =

Re-write The Jackson County EMA is ready to RESPOND to and PREPARE for disasters, and lead RECOVERY programs to save lives and property and reduce threats through MITIGATION programs. Our goal is to protect the lives and property of our citizens. Are you prepared for the emergencies we may face? Look at our Disaster pages by clicking on the links above to read about disasters, what to do in one, and how to be prepared. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level = 9.3 (a reduction or 4.4 grade levels) 16

Digital Literacy 17

Numeracy 18

Relating Numbers to Pictures Probability in per cent (%) from 2% to Significant (above 60%) 19

Computer-based Problem Solving 20

In Summary EM messages may be reaching their intended audiences, but at a level that is not being understood. EM academic programs should include lessons on literacy and crafting EM messages at appropriate reading levels. College EM programs should teach the basic skills of crafting messages at lower readability levels. 21

References Goodman, M., Finnegan, R., Mohadjer, L., Krenzke, T., & Hogan, J. (2013). Literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments among U.S. adults: Results from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies 2012: First Look (NCES ). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from

References The numbers don’t lie. (2015). Syracuse, NY: ProLiteracy. Retrieved from literacy-facts literacy-facts 23

Appendix A Emergency Management Home Page Readability Grade Levels XDta2Y5gOxzOmnBs5CueAYbPhQpHQaAt_j8P8HAQ

Appendix A (con’t) pimn=CDHewidh&ClientMarketingCampaignID=26&VendorAccountID=41856&gclid=Cj0KEQjw_pmoBRDu986bpISz5ZsBEiQANiuHDK 5nltcKuCiEmSbveTIMwcHY5hJnClW_EsiNksH04uUaAv6o8P8HAQ

Appendix A (con’t) http://

Questions? 27