Containing data gathered in the 1979-80 assessment of reading and literature conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), this report is devoted to the results of the reading comprehension and study skills portions of the assessment. A brief introduction provides information about the students surveyed and the measures used in the assessment. The six main chapters of the report provide data concerning the following areas of the assessment: (1) students' perceptions about reading, their reading habits, and their experiences related to reading performance; (2) national and reporting group results on all comprehension exercises; (3) the comprehension tasks and the results of national and reporting group results on these tasks; (4) student performance on different reading passage types; (5) national results on skim and scan exercises, and national and reporting group results on study skills exercises; and (6) a synthesis of a dialogue among the educators participating in a review of the assessment's findings. Appendixes contain summaries of results for national and reporting groups on reading comprehension and study skills exercises, and examples of exercises used in the assessment. (FL) Results (Selective) (Secondary Analysis)