A study compared the achievement of students in three Ottawa French programs: early French immersion (EFI), begun in kindergarten; middle French immersion (MFI), begun in fourth grade; and late French immersion (LFI), begun in sixth grade, with students in core French instruction since kindergarten. Extensive testing and data-collection investigated oral and written French production skills, achievement in grades 6 and 8 for two cohorts and for students taking the test in both grades, age and program differences in mastery of French verb skills, language-related activities and pedagogic patterns related to program type, student progress on standardized tests, and enrollment patterns. Sample classes were observed and tested in both the classroom and the language laboratory. The report describes the study's methodology and correlates test and classroom observation results. An analysis indicates the following: the performance of MFI students was between that of the EFI and LFI students; the current policy of student enrollment in grade nine French language programs is appropriate; eighth grade performance was better than sixth grade performance in each program; additional verb usage research is needed; the programs differ in pedagogic orientation; and introduction of MFI has not reduced EFI or LFI enrollments. Measurement instruments, data, and a brief reference list are appended. (MSE)