Highliteracy

Highliteracy is a term used to describe an advanced level of literacy across a population or within an organization, extending beyond basic reading and writing to include a broad set of competencies such as information literacy, digital literacy, and critical literacy. It denotes the ability to obtain, interpret, evaluate, and create information in varied formats, participate effectively in civic and workplace activities, and adapt to evolving communicative contexts.

Measuring highliteracy involves multiple indicators: traditional literacy rates, functional literacy assessments, digital-literacy indices, and surveys of information literacy skills. Researchers emphasize not only decoding text but also comprehension, evaluative judgment, and ethical use of information.

Policy and practice aim to raise highliteracy through comprehensive education, early childhood programs, teacher training, access to diverse reading materials, and ongoing adult education. Digital infrastructure, inclusive language policies, and culturally responsive teaching support broader reach and equity.

Debates around highliteracy focus on scope and standards: what counts as literacy, how to balance breadth and depth of skills, and how to measure outcomes in a rapidly changing information environment. Critics caution against conflating literacy with literacy-dependent outcomes such as employment, health, and civic participation.

See also: literacy, functional literacy, digital literacy, information literacy, media literacy, education policy.