FOUR APPROACHES TO BEGINNING READING WERE EVALUATED IN A 3-YEAR STUDY OF ELEMENTARY PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NEW CASTLE, PENNSYLVANIA. THE FOUR APPROACHES USED WERE (1) A BASAL READER PROGRAM PUBLISHED BY SCOTT, FORESMAN AND CO. (1962), (2) A PHONIC PROGRAM UTILIZING CORRELATED FILMSTRIPS PUBLISHED BY J.B. LIPPINCOTT CO. (1963), (3) A COMBINATION USING SCOTT, FORESMAN'S MATERIALS SUPPLEMENTED WITH PHONIC BOOKLETS (PHONICS AND WORD POWER) PUBLISHED BY AMERICAN EDUCATION PUBLICATIONS, INC. (1964), AND (4) A LANGUAGE ARTS APPROACH USING THE INITIAL TEACHING ALPHABET (1963). AFTER THE PUPILS IN THIS GROUP MADE THE TRANSITION TO TRADITIONAL ORTHOGRAPHY, THE TREASURY OF LITERATURE SERIES PUBLISHED BY CHARLES E. MERRILL (1960) WAS USED. IN ADDITION, WIDE INDEPENDENT READING WAS ENCOURAGED IN ALL FOUR GROUPS. THE STANFORD ACHIEVEMENT TEST AND THE GILMORE ORAL READING TEST WERE USED AS PRIMARY MEANS OF EVALUATION FOR THE STUDY. RESULTS ON THESE TESTS SHOWED THAT IN GENERAL THE LIPPINCOTT AND I/T/A-LIPPINCOTT PROGRAM MIGHT BE WORTHY OF ATTENTION AND FUTURE STUDY. HOWEVER, THE RESULTS DO NOT SUGGEST THAT ANY OF THE FOUR APPROACHES WAS CONSISTENTLY BETTER THAN THE OTHERS. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE (BOSTON, APRIL 24-27, 1968). (BS)