CALIFORNIA PROGRAMS TO TRAIN PROSPECTIVE SECONDARY TEACHERS OF ENGLISH COMPOSITION WERE STUDIED THROUGH AN EXAMINATION OF COURSE OFFERINGS IN COLLEGE CATALOGS AND INTERVIEWS WITH COLLEGE ADMINISTRATORS AND FACULTY MEMBERS. PURPOSES OF THE SURVEY WERE TO DESCRIBE CURRENT PRACTICES IN PREPARING COMPOSITION TEACHERS, TO IDENTIFY APPARENTLY EFFECTIVE TRAINING PRACTICES, AND TO COLLECT COLLEGE INSTRUCTORS' OPINIONS ABOUT THE IDEAL PREPARATION PROGRAMS. AN ENGLISH MAJOR'S COURSE WORK WAS DISCOVERED TO LIE 85-95 PERCENT IN LITERATURE AND ONLY 2-10 PERCENT IN WRITING. MOST PROGRAMS REQUIRED A YEAR'S WORK IN A FRESHMAN ENGLISH COURSE CONSISTING OF LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION AND STRESSING EXPOSITORY WRITING. FEW COLLEGE INSTRUCTORS WHO HAD SPECIAL PREPARATION FOR TEACHING WRITING COURSES OF ANY KIND WERE FOUND. MOST COLLEGE INSTRUCTORS SUPPORTED EARLY AND CLOSE CONTACTS WITH HIGH SCHOOL COMPOSITION PROGRAMS, AND WHERE COLLEGE ENGLISH DEPARTMENTS PARTICIPATED IN TEACHER PREPARATION AND EMPLOYED SPECIALISTS TO TEACH ACADEMIC AND METHODS COURSES, PROGRAMS WERE MORE SUCCESSFUL. THE CONCLUSION IS THAT COURSES IN FRESHMAN ENGLISH, ADVANCED COMPOSITION, AND METHODS IN TEACHING ENGLISH, WHEN ADEQUATELY PRESENTED AND SUPERVISED, PROVIDE SUFFICIENT PREPARATION FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ENGLISH COMPOSITION. (RD)