The use of the behavioral science principle of contingency in several approaches to teaching beginning reading is discussed in this paper. The failure to provide a contingent relationship between the given reading skill and student success in demonstrating the skill can lead to repeated apparent successes without the student actually manifesting the skill. Frequently, errorless progressions (shaping behavior) are used to establish heavily cued or prompted behavioral manifestations different from the desired terminal behavior; the cues are then gradually faded. Alternatively, a progression in complexity along the targeted behavior can be designed. Approaches to beginning reading differ principally in the nature of the progression used. The examples that are given indicate that progression in the target behavior is usually the most effective approach. Hence, basic research on errorless learning provides a framework for an informed judgment on the relative merits of different approaches to beginning reading. (Discussion that followed the presentation of the paper is included.) (Author/RL)