Oregon
Vol. 76, No. 97 Eugene, Oregor, Fues., Jan. 28. 1975
£7avttl^vV>'
WTHl/fl.
RITK6H.
« Rhvthum?
S rthm??
SavRHYr^^l
Drawing by Guy Michel
Survey shows
students and adults
are getting dumber and dummer
(CPS) — What s it like in a world papered with books,
newspapers, magazines, forms and notices not to be able
to read? What do you do if you can’t understand your
college textbook, figure out your income taxes or follow the
qualification requirements in a help-wanted ad?
According to a number of recent surveys more and
more Americans, much to their disadvantage, are finding
out
"Functional illiteracy,” or the inability to communicate
and accomplish tasks within a basic level or competency
and clarity, has won a prominent place in the lexicon of
contemporary American education.
And unfortunately its applications have been wide
spread, stretching across all levels of education and not
confined to one race or family income:
—One study, due for release in a few months, found
that 36 per cent of its sample, given an income tax form and
information about dependents were unable to read, write or
compute well enough to enter the correct number of ex
emptions in the appropriate block.
—Another study of adults with 10.5 years average
schooling found that their average reading and computa
tion level equaled a fifth grade education.
—A third survey of college department chairers found
widespread, though not universal concern that “students
are coming from high school with a far less firm grasp on
fundamentals than before—middle class as well as disad
vantaged students
Results from this last study coincided with remarks
from the executive secrets of the Modern Language As
sociation, who stated, "My impression is that on a national
level we have failed—have continued to fail—to meet the
challenge of illiteracy among college-level students.”
At Maine's Bowdoin College, increasing concern that
students were "incapable of expressing a coherent train of
thought in written form” led the school to request a written
essay as part of its student application process.
The college s faculty and administration singled out
athletes, middle class students from progressive schools
and the poor from deficient high schools as those who most
frequently comprising the group of inept writers
“One third of the papers and exams I receive," said
one history professor, “are written by students whom I
consider functionally illiterate I simply cannot correct for
both the historical content of the work and for grammar
In a similar move the College Entrance Examination
Board recently included a "Test of Standard Written En
glish” as a regular part of the Scholastic Aptitude Test
(SAT).
The bid to more specifically and accurately analyze
writing skills came after a general ten year decline in
tSAi incuriwrnancs and English scores.
Concern over poor writers and readers has extended
beyorvj academia. Textbook manufacturers, for example,
are encouraging college textbooks to be written at lower
than previous reading levels.
McGraw-Hill now asks authors to write college text
books at the eighth and ninth grade levels of reading.
A spokesperson for the book publishers defended the
move, saying, “We re not talking so much about just lower
ing the (reading) level of the books as we are (about)
making the points a little clearer.”
For many Americans outside of college, though, “clar
ity” isn’t so much the issue as is the lack of basic reading,
writing, speaking and listening skills.
According to U S. Commissioner of Education Terrel
Bell only 56 per cent of American adults are able to match
personal qualifications to job requirements when shown a
series of newspaper help-wanted ads, and one fifth cannot
read an “equal opportunity" notice well enough to under
stand it.
In addition Bell said that about 38 million Americans
could not locate the deduction for social security on a
monthly earnings statement.
The study cited by Bell is the first national assessment
of the performance of adults on a number of objective skills
judged necessary to “survival in American society.”
Bell expressed particular concern for those on the
bottom of the “survival skills” ratings. "If they cannot cope
now,” Bell said, “the next decade will find them lower on the
survival scale, and with them their families.”
Think “how it must feel," the education commissioner
said, “to be 25 years old and unable to fill out a work
application, open a savings account or read instructions for
using an electrical appliance."
‘Functional illiterates’ on the rise
by CHRIS JUPP
Of the Emerald
A discouraging phenomenon is
causing dismay at oolleges across
the nation—entering freshmen just
don't seem to understand their native
language.
Numerous English departments
have come to the startling conclusion
that they are handling “functional illit
erates." the professional term for
students who can't write and have no
idea how to express themselves on
paper.
College textbook publishers, in
fact, have found the problem so
wide-spread and apparently perma
nent that they have simplified text
book language and content. The As
sociation of American Publishers
guide to textbook usage was recently
downgraded from a 12th to a
9th-grade reading level.
Blame for the trend is uncertainly
pinned to everything from mindless
television addiction to the 1960s
quest for relevancy in education; but
the solution is universally
voiced—more grammar, more drills,
more grinding book study.
At the University things got so bad
that Nat Teich, director of composi
tion, sent out p form letter early this
year to Oregon high school teachers
to inform them of the problems and
elicit their support and suggestions.
“The problem does not seem to
involve the intelligence, awareness
or motivation of today's college
freshmen," the letter stated.
"Rather, it reflects their prior train
ing which does not seem to have pro
vided them with the basic skills to
write a correct standard English sen
tence, not to mention a well
organized expository essay."
Teich cites statistics along with the
general decline in literary aptitude:
• Courses in remedial writing have
risen from seven in 1970-71 to 18 in
1974.
• Freshmen required to take “Reme
dial Writing 120” (those with SAT
verbal scores below 370) have in
creased from 208 (11 per cent) in
1969 to 327 (15 per cent) in 1974
• Freshmen exempt from any com
position requirements (those with
scores above 650) have decreased
from 141 (eight per cent) in 1970 to
81 (four per cent) in 1974.
The English department is not the
only sector of the University affected
by students’ degree of literary com
petency. Journalism, a field solidly
grounded in language, is even more
directly influenced by inadequate
English mastery.
To ensure proficient English
usage, the journalism school re
quires a basic course in grammar,
spelling and writing of all majors.
Instructor Dean Rea notes continu
ing inadequacy in the college prep
aration given to entering journalism
students in his 10 years at the Uni
versity. ‘‘Our problems are the same
as the English department’s, but
we’ve got to quit complaining and
give the students what they need,” he
says.
The English department has had to
compromise students’ educational
needs with a tight budget.
Class enrollments in WR 323 have
climbed from an average of 23 last
year to 27 this year, while elective
writing courses have been cut back to
make room for increased sections of
remedial composition.
Teich sees no immediate alterna
tive in the battle for student literacy.
”We have to deal here with students
who have not been trained in the fun
damentals of English since high
school or even junior high," he said.
"Hopefully we will be able to work
something out with secondary
schools, but that will take some
time."