Statistics Canada (1998) breaks literacy skills down into three areas of prose literacy, document literacy and quantitative literacy. Prose literacy involves the ability to comprehend and use information from written text such as news stories, poetry and works of fiction. Document literacy refers to the functional use of reading to be able to follow maps, transportation schedules and job application forms. Quantitative literacy requires the practical use of mathematics for activities including balancing a chequebook, filling out order forms or calculating a tip (Shalla & Schellenberg, 1998). In arriving at a literacy level for an individual on the IALS, the three areas of literacy are examined with each scale having a literacy proficiency rating between 0 to 500 points. The five broad literacy levels for each scale are: Level 1 (0-225), Level 2 (226-275), Level 3 (276-325), Level 4 (326-375) and Level 5 (376-500) (National Institute for Literacy, 2004).

New Brunswick's inferior showing on the IALS provoked passionate debates and raised serious concern by the provincial government and non-profit agencies championing literacy causes. Literacy stakeholders reacted positively to the reports by keeping literacy on the government's agenda and advocating for regional initiatives to develop creative strategies for delivering literacy programs. The government established a network of community-based programs for adults to upgrade their literacy skills. One innovative literacy program created in 1991 and jointly supported by the government, private sector and the local communities, Community Academic Services Program (CASP), spread to communities across the province (Gorlick, 2001). Each CASP provides adult learners free and accessible literacy training on a flexible schedule customized to meet their needs. Academic upgrading is available at the basic level (grades 4 to 6) and intermediate level (grades 7 to 9).