How did we do compared to other countries?
               Literacy            Numeracy                PS-TRE*
                   Japan                 Japan                Japan           • The U.S. ranked in 
                   Finland              Finland               Finland
                Netherlands         Flanders-Belgium         Sweden                 roughly the middle of 
                  Sweden              Netherlands            Norway
                   Norway               Sweden             Netherlands              countries in Literacy.
                   Estonia              Norway                Austria
              Flanders-Belgium         Denmark               Denmark
                 Czech Rep.            Slovak Rep.          Czech Rep.
                 Slovak Rep.           Czech Rep.          Korea, Rep. of     • The U.S. ranked lower 
                   Canada               Austria              Germany
                Korea, Rep. of          Estonia              Canada                 than most other 
                    U.K.               Germany              Slovak Rep.
                United States           Canada           Flanders-Belgium
                  Denmark                Cyprus                U.K.                 countries in Numeracy 
                  Germany            Korea, Rep. of           Estonia
                   Austria                U.K.                Ireland               and Problem Solving in 
                   Cyprus                Poland               Poland
                   Poland             United States        United States            technology-rich 
                   Ireland              Ireland
                   France                France                                     environments.
                    Spain                 Italy
                    Italy                Spain
                         * Cyprus, France, Italy, and Spain did not participate.                                                        2
       The U.S. average literacy score (272) did not differ 
       significantly from the international average (273)
                Literacy
                     Japan                                                                                                    UPDATED
                    Finland
                  Netherlands
                    Sweden                                • Scores on literacy ranged from 250 
                    Norway
                    Estonia                                     (Italy) to 296 (Japan)
               Flanders-Belgium
                   Czech Rep.
                  Slovak Rep.
                    Canada                                • U.S. scores were:
                 Korea, Rep. of
                      U.K.                                        • Lower than in 7 countries
                 United States
                   Denmark
                   Germany                                        • Not significantly different than 
                    Austria
                    Cyprus                                              in 8 countries
                    Poland
                    Ireland                                       • Higher than in 6 countries
                     France
                     Spain
                      Italy
                                                                                                                                                   3
   Larger percentages of U.S. adults performed at the top 
   (Level 4/5) and the bottom (Level 1 or below) of the 
   distribution in literacy.
                    18%
                    16%
   NOTE: United States data are the U.S. PIAAC 2012/2014 data. PIAAC 2012 international average based on all countries and regions that participated 
   in PIAAC 2012 as reported in the 2012 First Look (NCES 2013-008). 
                                                                  4
    These descriptions of the PIAAC Proficiency Levels for 
    Literacy define what adults can do at each level.
                                                                                     Level 5 
                                                                    Level 4          (376-500)
                                                   Level 3          (326-375)
                                                   (276-325)                         Integrate 
                                     Level 2                         Perform         information 
    Below           Level 1          (226-275)                       multiple-step   across 
                    (176-225)                         Identify,      operations to   multiple, 
    Level 1                                           interpret, or 
    (0-175)                         Make matches      evaluate       integrate,      dense texts; 
                     Read           between text      one or more  interpret, or     construct 
                     relatively     and               pieces of      synthesize      syntheses, 
     Locate          short          information                      information     ideas or 
     single piece                                     information  from              points of 
     of              digital,       that may          and often 
                     print or       require low       require        complex         view;  or 
     information     mixed          level para-                      texts, and      evaluate 
     in familiar                                      varying        may require     evidence 
     texts.          texts to       phrasing and      levels of 
                     locate         drawing low-      inference.     complex         based 
                     single text.   level                            inferences.     arguments.
                                    inferences.
                                                                                              5
   The U.S. average numeracy score (257) was lower than the 
   international average (269).
        Numeracy
           Japan
           Finland
         Flanders-Belgium • Numeracy scores ranged from 246 
          Netherlands
           Sweden            (Spain) to 288 (Japan)
           Norway
          Denmark
          Slovak Rep.
          Czech Rep.      • U.S. scores were:
           Austria
           Estonia            • Lower than in 16 countries
          Germany
           Canada
           Cyprus             • Not significantly different than 
         Korea, Rep. of
           U.K.                 in 2 countries
           Poland
         United States        • Higher than in 3 countries
           Ireland
           France
           Italy
           Spain
                                                                  6