A questionnaire survey of reading instruction status in six New England states was part of the New England Educational Assessment Project, representing a joint effort of the six New England State Departments of Education. Questionnaires were mailed to all reading consultants; elementary principals; and kindergarten, first-, and fourth-grade teachers in the six states and to all schools housing a seventh and/or tenth grade. The following findings were reported. Activities in kindergarten programs were predominately related to listening and language-skills development. Factors used in determining a child's readiness for grade 1 ranged from teacher judgment to student intelligence. Heterogeneous self-contained classrooms of 21 to 26 students predominated at the first- and fourth-grade levels. Basal readers were the most-used materials of 94 percent of the first-grade teachers and 91 percent of fourth-grade teachers. Considerably more separate reading classes and reading texts were used in grade 7 than in grade 10, but at both grade levels, reading instruction in English classes was about equal. Most reading consultants were experienced and well-trained reading teachers. More consultant time was spent at lower-grade levels than at upper-grade levels. There was a need for development and expansion in secondary school reading programs. (CM)