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 (2014-008)

The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is a large-scale study of adult skills and life experience focusing on education and employment. The study was developed and coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In the United States, the study was conducted in 2011-2012 with a nationally representative sample of 5,000 adults between the ages of 16 and 65. Similar nationally representative samples of adults were surveyed in each of the 22 other participating countries (data for an additional country—the Russian Federation—are not yet available).

PIAAC is designed to assess adults in different countries over a broad range of abilities, from simple reading to complex problem-solving skills. To do this, PIAAC defines four core competency domains of adult cognitive skills that are seen as key to facilitating the social and economic participation of adults in advanced economies: Literacy, reading components, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments. (This report was previously set to be released on October 8, 2013.)