The Pennsylvania Comprehensive Reading/Communication Arts Plan (PCRP) is a flexible guide designed to advance student competence in reading, listening, and oral and written expression, and to nurture positive attitudes toward reading and the effective use of language. Intended for use on every educational level, preschool through adult, the PCRP develops four critical experiences: responding to literature (heard, read, visualized or dramatized), engaging in sustained silent reading of self-selected books, composing (written and oral) and investigating and mastering language patterns (sound/spelling, syntax, and meanings). Other portions of the plan discuss the following topics: the resources that the learner brings to learning, developing and using curriculum-related tests, the effective use of standardized tests, informal appraisals of student competence and attitude, and ways of obtaining teacher feedback for evaluation and development of curriculum. The final portion of the plan lists research studies and references supporting the four critical experiences approach and selected references for use in implementing PCRP. (MAI)