Reading research in which different methods or materials have been compared has proven inconclusive. This paper is restricted to beginning reading, defined as the acquisition of letter-sound decoding ability, and raises the question: what skills are required by current tests? Available reading readiness and achievement tests consist of batteries of subtests, each of which is designed to measure a component skill necessary in reading. However, high intercorrelations between the subtests indicate either that separable skills are not being measured, or that skills develop at the same rate in most children. However, the makeup of the items in the tests is such that ability to follow instructions and general language competence are common factors which enter significantly into performance on all subtests. The experience of psychologists in constructing tests to identify separable skills in language and intelligence indicates that this task is possible but difficult. Current tests are suitable for prediction of reading performance, but tests that evaluate separable skills are urgently needed for further research on the development of the reading process, as well as diagnosis. Examples are presented for articulation and phonetic discrimination. (Author)