To investigate the relationships between television watching, spare time reading, homework, and scholastic achievement, the National Assessment of Educational Progress gathered data on television viewing habits. Younger students were more avid viewers than older ones. Half the 9-year olds watched over 3 hours of television daily; most 13-year-olds watched one to two or three to four hours daily; among 17-year-olds, 38 percent watched less than an hour a day. Television has a differential relationship to reading achievement at different ages. Over 4 hours of daily watching proved detrimental at all ages. Highest reading performance was typically associated with one to two hours of spare time reading and three to four hours of television for 9-year-olds, one to two hours of television for 13-year-olds and under an hour of television for 17-year-olds. For 13-year-olds, one to two hours of television and one to two hours of homework a day were associated with highest levels of reading performance. Only for 17-year-olds did television have a direct negative relationship to reading performance. Spare time reading and television do not appear to compete for students' time; television and homework may compete for some students' time. Primary type of information provided by report: Procedures (Analysis). (BW)