FOUR DIFFERENT READING PROGRAMS WERE EVALUATED USING 302 SECOND-GRADE PUPILS WHO HAD PARTICIPATED IN THE SAME PROGRAMS IN GRADE 1. IN ADDITION TO THE STUDY CONDUCTED IN THE SECOND GRADE, A PILOT STUDY WAS CONTINUED INTO GRADE 3, AND A MODIFIED VERSION OF THE GRADE 1 STUDY WAS MADE AGAIN IN GRADE 1. THE FOUR READING PROGRAMS INVOLVED WERE (1) A "WHOLE-WORD," ABILITY GROUPING, ECLECTIC, BASAL APPROACH OF SCOTT, FORESMAN, 1960 EDITION, (2) THE PRECEDING APPROACH SUPPLEMENTED BY A PHONICS WORKBOOK, "PHONICS AND WORD POWER," PUBLISHED IN 1964 BY AMERICAN EDUCATION PUBLICATIONS, (3) THE PHONIC, FILMSTRIP, WHOLE-CLASS APPROACH, PUBLISHED IN 1963 BY J.B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY, AND (4) THE 1964 "EARLY TO READ," ABILITY GROUPING PROGRAM OF I.T.A. (INITIAL TEACHING ALPHABET) PUBLICATIONS, INC., FOLLOWED BY THE "TREASURY OF LITERATURE SERIES," PUBLISHED IN 1960 BY CHARLES E. MERRILL BOOKS, INC. IN THREE OF FIVE LIPPINCOTT CLASSES, TWO OF FIVE I.T.A.-MERRILL CLASSES, TWO OF FIVE "PHONICS AND WORD POWER" CLASSES, AND NONE OF FOUR SCOTT, FORESMAN CLASSES, 50 PERCENT OR MORE PUPILS ACHIEVED AT LEAST ONE-HALF ABOVE THEIR PREDICTED LEVELS. IT THUS APPEARED THAT THE FIRST THREE READING PROGRAMS ENABLED PUPILS TO ACHIEVE HIGHER READING SCORES (AS MEASURED BY THE STANFORD ACHIEVEMENT TESTS). IN TERMS OF EFFECTIVENESS WITH ABILITY GROUPS, THE SCOTT, FORESMAN APPROACH APPEARED TO BE PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE WITH PUPILS OF LOW IQ, THE LIPPINCOTT PROGRAM WITH THOSE OF AVERAGE IQ, AND BOTH THE LIPPINCOTT OR I.T.A. PROGRAMS WITH THOSE OF HIGH IQ. ALL RESULTS OF THE STUDY WERE VIEWED AS TENTATIVE. (JH)