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This paper discusses the use of telephone surveys as a substitute for, or addition to, the use of door-to-door surveys in assessing adult literacy ability. Part one addresses issues of validity in adult literacy assessment. Part two is a review of related research that has used telephone and mail surveys to assess the cognitive abilities of adults. Part three discusses the theoretical model of literacy that the National Assessments of Adult Literacy (NAAL) and International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) have used and how that model can be modified to incorporate a developmental and componential model of literacy that also includes the oral language aspects of literacy given in the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act of 1998. Finally, part four addresses several issues about the use of telephone and mail surveys, including concerns about using these survey methods in such a way as to make continuity in trend data from previous surveys of adult literacy possible.