The first segment of a long-term educational assessment plan, for which this three-part report was compiled, called for a study that would survey the status of English language arts programs in the province of British Columbia and serve as a pilot for future assessment programs. This portion of the study deals with the initial phase of the language arts assessment in which teachers and trustees were asked to describe the desirable learning outcomes of English language arts as well as the existing methods and materials in use in their classrooms. The seven chapters present the findings as follows: the general goals of the language arts/English program in the areas of speaking, listening, written composition, reading, and literature; general reasons for including kindergarten in the school system; teacher rankings on instructional goals in reading, written language, literature, and oral communication in the context of an ideal or future-oriented program; and specific ideal objectives in the major areas of language arts and English instruction on the secondary level. Each chapter offers general goals; specific learner outcomes for each language arts skill; comparisons, interpretations, and implications of specific findings; and relevant tables and charts. (MAI)