The federal government continues to fail at gauging the effectiveness of its financial literary programs, General Accountability Office Financial Markets and Community Investment Director Puente Alicia Cackley said Wednesday.

However, in testimony before a Congressional committee, she said there has been progress in coordinating and consolidating financial literary efforts among federal agencies.

Since GAO’s first report on the subject in 2012, the number of federal literacy programs has declined to 13 from 16 while the number of housing counseling programs (which include financial education) have shrunk to three from four.

The existing financial education efforts are in agencies as different as the Defense Department, the Agriculture Department and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Because of the crosscutting nature of financial literacy, the GAO official said it would be difficult, if not impossible, for all the government efforts to be centered in one agency.

However, while there is no duplication in the efforts, she said, some agencies or programs have overlapping goals and activities, raising the risk of inefficiencies.

She praised the Financial Literacy and Education Commission for expanding the reach of financial education in the nation by working with state, local, nonprofit and private organizations.