Misapplied literacy scores mislead policy

A common public claim — for example, that 'half of adults read below sixth grade' — can be traced to treating adult‑skills assessments (PIAAC) as if they map to K–12 grade levels. That misapplication creates moral panics and can distort policy choices even when the underlying data were never designed to answer that question. — Clarifying which literacy measures actually mean what will change debates about education funding, workforce training, and democratic competence.