A study was conducted at Clemson University involving 90 high-risk freshmen who were enrolled in special English sections on the basis of low verbal Stanford Achievement Test scores. Thirty students made up the experimental group, and 60 students, the control group. Students in the experimental group were those who volunteered to take the reading improvement course. The purpose of the study was to evaluate three goals: (1) the improvement of reading skills, (2) the reduction of attrition rates, and (3) an increased grade-point ratio. This report contains an evaluation of reading gain for the 90 subjects, based on the results of the Nelson-Denny Reading Test, Forms A and B. The results showed that the experimental group made higher gains in vocabulary, reading rate, and total reading than the control group. The failure of the experimental group to make gains in the area of comprehension is interpreted somewhat favorably in light of the fact that significant gains were made in rate without a loss of comprehension. It was concluded that a reading improvement program is beneficial to students with limited verbal skills. Tables and references are included. (AI)