While Florida’s adult literacy rate ranks below the national average, the Literacy Alliance of Northeast Florida is working to bridge the gap. For many students and faculty at the University of North Florida, the literacy challenge highlights a shifting landscape in how students engage with text and their struggles with literacy.

On a national scale, the average adult in the U.S. reads below a sixth-grade level, according to The National Literacy Institute, and Florida is one of the states with the lowest literacy rate, according to Data Pandas. The Literacy Alliance of Northeast Florida helps students prepare to get their GED, improve their reading and writing skills, and get a job, according to the Literacy Alliance’s website. 

Student perspectives on literacy trends

The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) measured that 24% of Floridians scored at or below a level one, 34% are at a level two, and 42% of the population is at or above a level three for literacy, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Alana Hunsberger, a freshman majoring in communication, said she reads about one book every two months. 

To combat the literacy rate, Hunsberger said children should not be given phones. 

“Maybe like not allow younger kids to have phones,” Hunsberger said. “Lots of kids are getting them as toddlers.”

Lily Dillard, a freshman majoring in ASL interpretation, said she is not much of a reader, but when she gets interested in a book, it’s hard to put it down.

Dillard said to combat the declining literacy rate, students should read more in class. 

“Starting in schools, take an hour out of their day to read what they think is interesting,” Dillard said. She said that she has seen in some elementary schools, students are given time to read in class, and that this activity should continue into high school.

While students see the issue through the lens of classroom habits, faculty members at UNF observe different trends in their day-to-day interactions.

Academic observation on literacy rates

Richard Lentz, a UNF professor in the School of Communication, said he has not experienced much of a decline in students’ literacy, but he frequently notices improper grammar usage or spelling errors. 

“The issue that I end up running into is, you know, of course, like a lot of students are not doing the basic things like capitalizing the first letter of a sentence or, just doing, in my opinion, basic, you know, proofreading,” Lentz said. 

Lentz also said professional boundaries are sometimes ignored.

“They [students] think they can use, like, slang and jargon with me and things of that nature,” Lentz said. “And it’s like, no, I need you to be professional when we’re communicating.”

Lentz said many people now consume content online via videos rather than blog posts, which may contribute to student literacy levels.

“I feel like we get everything in videos nowadays instead of having to read,” Lentz said.

Lentz also said that although students could depend on a spell or grammar checker, students still should write for themselves and not use ChatGPT or AI to write things for them.  

Community-led solutions and outreach

The Literacy Alliance assists people from ages 16 to 80 in getting their GED, improving reading, writing, and math skills, looking for a better job, and more, according to its website.

“An estimated 21% of adults in Duval County perform at or below the lowest literacy level measured by PIAAC, ” the Literacy Alliance’s website reads.

The Literacy Alliance offers free classes, tests, materials, and tutoring sessions for students, according to Literacy Alliance’s volunteer coordinator Stephany Nellessen Zeyadeh.

“We even loan out tablets and laptops to students, the calculators needed for the math test,” Zeyadeh said. “We’re trying to cover all bases for them to make it the most accessible.”

Zeyadeh said the Literacy Alliance structures its schedules so busy students can attend.

“We have online classes and in-person classes, classes during the day and evening classes, trying to be as flexible as possible,” Zeyadeh said. “They don’t have to start at a certain point of the year. They can come and go as they need to, and people can take breaks and come back. “

Elizabeth Lawrence, the Student Success Director at the Literacy Alliance, said classes are kept small so students receive “individualized attention.” As the Literacy Alliance offers everything from phonics practice to GED preparation, it has also started a new trauma-informed women’s GED class funded by a grant from the Women’s Giving Alliance, according to Lawrence. 

“The first 30 minutes of those classes are dedicated to mindfulness, wellness, test-taking strategies, meditation, journaling, things like that,” Lawrence said. “And then they go into their GED instruction after that.”

The Literacy Alliance also sends instructors and tutors into jails in Duval and Nassau counties, according to Zeyadeh. 

“We have instructors that go into the jails and teach them in person and we have a couple of tutors as well, who tutor people in the jails,” Zeyadeh said. 

Zeyadeh said training and orientations are provided for volunteers, who can also sit in on classes to see firsthand how an instructor teaches. 

“People come in with like zero tutoring background, and we will prepare them to be able to tutor with people so you don’t have to have an education background or previous tutoring experience,” Zeyadeh said. 

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