Literacy education for children, youth, and adults in America is in critical need of reconstruction. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) keeps pace with research findings on the basic skills of these groups, yet in literacy education, these findings have not always been used to examine the effects of instructional variables on educational outcomes. The traditional approach to literacy is based on Essentialism, which emphasizes skill building and tests a discrete set of skills. The goal of Essentialism is not to define literacy, but to specify when a person is no longer illiterate. Research, however, supports an Ekistician approach to literacy, which argues that students must learn to reason effectively about what they read and write before they can be considered literate. Literacy must be a means to an end, the end being the fulfillment of the present interests of the learner. In its most recent assessments, NAEP implements Ekisticianism in both its choice of exercises and testing formats. Respondents demonstrate such things as writing a letter to correct a billing error, explaining a warranty for a household appliance, and implementing directions on an income tax form. Each of these calls for reasoning relevant to basic functioning in modern society. There is a need for educators, policy-makers, parents, and students to reconceptualize literacy programs within each state based on the Ekistician view of literacy. (Forty-two references are appended.) (MM)