This study's aim was to understand the relationship of the component skills of reading, such as word recognition, vocabulary, and spelling, to large-scale measures of literacy, such as the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) (Kirsch, Jungleblut, Jenkins, & Kolstad, 1993) and the closely related International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) (Tuijnman, 2001). The NALS and IALS used real-world items such as advertisements, bus schedules, newspaper editorials, and product warranties to estimate the distribution of literacy skills across society, reporting that distribution in five levels, from Level 1, the least proficient, through Level 5, the most proficient. The NALS found that 46% of the adults in the U.S. were in Level 1 and Level 2, with literacy proficiencies ranging from those at the beginning of Level 1 with very limited literacy to those at the upper end of Level 2 with approximately 9th grade literacy. Not surprisingly, the adults in Levels 1 and 2 tended to be less educated, to earn less, to participate less in civic activities, and to experience more health problems than adults in Levels 3, 4, and 5 (Kirsch et al., 1993). Many Level 1 and Level 2 adults would be eligible for adult basic education (ABE), adult secondary education (ASE), and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. However, the NALS and IALS were not designed to provide information about their possible instructional needs. Although proficient readers experience reading as a seamless process, in order to understand the reading of less proficient readers, reading teachers and researchers deconstruct the reading process into its component skills. These include print skills such as phonics, accurate word reading, fluency, and spelling, and meaning skills such as oral language, vocabulary, and background knowledge. If teachers know learners' patterns of strengths and needs--also called "reading profiles"--they can design more focused, efficient instruction by addressing the underlying causes of poor reading comprehension. Appended are: (1) Sampling (Westat Corporation); (2) Spelling Test; and (3) Towre Scoring. (Contains 3 tables and 8 figures.)