A strategy for teaching reading in college preparation courses of English as a second language that attempts to help students achieve reading independence, is presented. Skills of independent, flexible reading are outlined and a taxonomy of skill types (passive, active, and synthetic) and levels (mechanical, knowledge, transfer, response, and criticism) is proposed. The skills necessary for functioning at the two highest reading skill levels (response and criticism), called "performance" levels by comparison with the three lower "competence" levels, are categorized. Methods of evaluating the student during the process of developing these skills for independent reading are considered, and both discrete point and integrative approaches are rejected as inappropriate. An evaluation model is proposed that enlarges the role of evaluation in the teaching/learning process, with the teacher continuously evaluating student achievement of specific reading performance objectives and reevaluating the necessary teaching instructions and materials. The teacher takes notes on a specially designed teaching/learning/evaluation (TLE) form after, not during, each lesson. The student is also given responsibility to monitor his own achievement of the specific objectives, and teacher and student share these evaluations by discussing them during each lesson, eliminating the need for examinations. A sample performance objective and appropriate teaching and evaluation strategies are appended. (MSE)