To meet the needs of students reading below their potentials, teachers must learn more about the reading process, become more diagnostic in determining pupils' strengths and weaknesses, and couple their knowledge of reading with an understanding of pupil deficiencies to plan a program to improve the child's ability to read. Diagnosis, though important, cannot consume most of the teacher's time. At the beginning of the year the teacher may ascertain a child's instructional reading level by consulting school records and by administering informal reading inventories and teacher-made exercises. Further, the child's basic area of weakness should be assessed, though his strong skills should be utilized in improving weak areas. During ensuing learning experiences notations about the pupil's reading performance should be made, perhaps on 3x5 cards for periodic summary on a profile card. Teachers hesitant about full commitment to complete individualization can increase the flexibility of their instruction by offering a considerable number of independent activities for the majority of the class, freeing themselves to work with smaller groups. All pupils deserve opportunities to spend time in reading widely--regardless of their reading proficiency. (Author/RD)