The foundation for the word attack element of the Wisconsin Design for Reading Skill Development consists of the Outline of Reading Skills and related behavioral objectives. The list of word attack skills was originally drawn from a prepared curriculum guide of a public school system and subsequently refined. The skills are the ones commonly taught in elementary schools and considered essential to reading development. The remaining components of the Design are keyed to the specific skills listed in the outline. Behavioral objectives were written for each skill at mid-level of specificity to define the tasks that the child must be able to perform in order to demonstrate skill mastery. Each skill is assessed by a criterion-referenced test; no group-referent norms exist. A criterion of 80 percent correct is set in recognition of measurement limitations and variables. The assessment instruments are the informal guides to individual skill observation and the formal Wisconsin Tests of Reading Skill Development. Each test consists of approximately 15 to 20 items and has a reliability of .80 or higher. The pupil Profile Card is the primary vehicle for pupil accounting with the Design. Available materials for each skill are listed in the Teacher's Resource File. School personnel are encouraged to add useful materials and activities to the files. References are included. (Author/AW)