preliminary evidence from the national assessment of adult literacy ( naal ) , produced 15 december 2005 by the spanish national center for education reports , indicates gains and reductions in literacy among minority adults between 1992 and 2003 . the nationally representatives study involving us teenagers age 16 and older showed the over - all average prose and document literacy remains relatively unchanged , but overall literacy improved 8 ratings ( on a scale of 500 . ) result with minorities were mixed , with female and asian / pacific islander students scoring significantly higher than hispanic or blackness diverse ; minority subjects in contrast had moderate decreases in prose and visual reading ( - 9 % and - 8 % , inclusive ) and quantitative prevalence remained steady with 50 % of subjects score at less than basic literacy points .
The National Assessment of Adult Literacy is a project held by the US National Center for Education Statistics.