THIS STUDY IS PART OF THE CRAFT READING PROJECT OF THE NEW YORK PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM WHICH IS INVESTIGATING THE READING PROGRESS OF DISADVANTAGED URBAN NEGRO CHILDREN. IN THE PRESENT STUDY, CHILDREN IN GRADES ONE, TWO, AND THREE, WITH AND WITHOUT PREVIOUS KINDERGARTEN EXPERIENCE, WERE TAUGHT READING BY TWO BASIC METHODS, EACH DIVIDED INTO TWO SUBMETHODS. ONE BASIC METHOD WAS THE SKILLS-CENTERED METHOD, DIVIDED INTO (1) A BASAL READER METHOD, WHICH USED CONVENTIONAL BASAL READERS, AND (2) A PHONOVISUAL METHOD, WHICH COMBINED USE OF BASAL READERS WITH A PHONOVISUAL SYSTEM OF TEACHING. THE SECOND BASIC METHOD WAS THE LANGUAGE-EXPERIENCE METHOD, WHICH DEVELOPED READING MATERIALS FROM THE EXPERIENCES AND VERBALIZATIONS OF THE CHILDREN, GRADUALLY MOVING INTO INDIVIDUALIZED READING. THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY ARE BASED ON METROPOLITAN ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES OF THE PUPILS OBTAINED IN GRADES TWO AND THREE OF THE ORIGINAL CRAFT PROJECT AND IN GRADE TWO OF A REPLICATION STUDY. THE PUPILS WITH KINDERGARTEN EXPERIENCE GENERALLY SCORED HIGHER THAN NONKINDERGARTEN PUPILS, ALTHOUGH SIGNIFICANT RESULTS, ON AN INDIVIDUAL TEACHING METHOD BASIS, OCCURRED CONSISTENTLY ONLY FOR THE REGULAR LANGUAGE-EXPERIENCE METHOD. ON THE BASIS OF THE TWO BASIC METHODS OF TEACHING READING, AGAIN, ONLY THE LANGUAGE-EXPERIENCE METHOD SCORES WERE CONSISTENTLY SIGNIFICANT. (WD)