Defining and measuring literacy: Facing the reality Manzoor Ahmed Published online: 26 March 2011 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011 Abstract Increasing recognition of a broadened concept of literacy challenges policy-makers and practitioners to re-define literacy operationally, develop and apply appropriate methods of assessing literacy and consider and act upon the consequent policy implications. This task is given a new urgency by the call of the Bele ´m Framework for Action to ‘‘recognise literacy as a continuum’’ in the framework of lifelong learning; and to develop ‘‘appropriate assessment methods and instruments’’ in surveys and collection of data. This paper reviews the evolution of the concept of literacy and the emerging new consensus about it. It examines the initial experience of the Literacy Assessment and Monitoring Programme (LAMP) of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics as a methodology in assessing literacy and the potential of ‘‘simpler’’ alternatives, taking the Education Watch survey in Bangladesh as an example. The policy implications for literacy programmes of the broadened definition and a new assessment approach are noted. Keywords Definition of literacy Á Measurement of literacy Á LAMP Á Bangladesh Literacy Assessment Á Tested literacy Á Literacy and lifelong learning Resume ´ De ´finir et mesurer l’alphabe ´tisme : faire face a ` la re ´alite ´ – L’acceptation croissante d’un concept e ´largi de l’alphabe ´tisme conduit les de ´cideurs et les praticiens a ` rede ´finir l’alphabe ´tisme d’un point de vue ope ´rationnel, a `e ´laborer et appliquer des me ´thodes approprie ´es pour e ´valuer les compe ´tences de base, ainsi qu’a ` envisager et a ` concre ´tiser les implications strate ´giques qui en re ´sultent. Cette ta ˆche reve ˆt une nouvelle urgence en raison de l’appel figurant dans le Cadre d’action de Bele ´m a ` reconnaı ˆtre l’alphabe ´tisation comme un « continuum » dans le cadre de l’apprentissage tout au long de la vie, et a `e ´laborer « des me ´thodes et des outils d’e ´valuation approprie ´s » au cours d’enque ˆtes et de collectes de donne ´es. L’auteur M. Ahmed (&) Brac University Institute of Educational Development (BRACU-IED), Dhaka, Bangladesh e-mail: manzoor.ahmed@bracu.ac.bd 123 Int Rev Educ (2011) 57:179–195 DOI 10.1007/s11159-011-9188-x