In an effort to improve the reading readiness skills of children entering the first grade, a special class was established in a lower socioeconomic area of a large city. Testing procedures were instituted to select appropriate pupils, and pretest and posttest results were used to evaluate the program. The 19 pupils selected for the class were given readiness training in the areas of auditory discrimination, visual discrimination, language development, concept development, both fine and grossmotor coordination, directionality, and color identification. As a result of this training, eight of the pupils were promoted to the first grade ready to begin reading activities, and eleven were promoted to the second grade as they had not only learned the readiness skills but had also learned the basic first-grade work. None of the pupils were promoted to the first grade during the term for fear that the change would have emotionally affected them and retarded their development. (Author/FL)