The purpose of this paper was to bring together some of the most outstanding and significant research in recent years relating to the problems of evaluating college reading and study skills programs and the corresponding prospects and implications for improvement. The sections of the paper include: "Criterion Measures of Program Success," which is a discussion of the use of grade-point average (GPA) as a criterion measure for reading program success; "Measurement Tools," which is a look at the variety of standardized tests available for college reading improvement programs (primarily their inadequancies); "Statistical Design of Evaluative Studies," which is a discussion of some of the statistical problems in program evaluative studies and other design problems; "Affective Variables in Evaluation," which is a description of the predictive value of GPA in relation to affective measures and some of the problems inherent in affective measurement; and "Summary and Conclusions," which is a listing of four factors--standardized test limitation; new developments in statistical design techniques; disappearance of canned, ultra-behavioristic commercial programs; and a growing research bank in college reading--that may ultimately improve reading improvement programs. (WR)