A study was conducted at College of the Sequoias (COS) to examine the entry-level reading and writing skills of students and their grade outcomes in the social science courses for which they were enrolled. The study sought to identify any predictors of students' eventual success/non-success in class. The study focused on the placement test scores and course grades of 409 students enrolled in spring 1982 in selected social science courses. Study findings included the following: (1) in five of seven courses, the mean reading score decreased as the course grade decreased; (2) the mean reading score for the 10 students who received an "F" was higher than the overall mean score for the entire sample; (3) for all courses, except the political science course, the mean reading score for the students receiving non-credit grades was lower than the mean reading score for students receiving credit grades; and (4) significant relationships were found between students' grade outcomes and their ability to read and write. (AYC)