A study was conducted to compare the success of students entering the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) at college and pre-college English levels to measure the effectiveness of English developmental programs. Ideally, the time spent in remedial programs should allow students to succeed and progress at the same rate as students who entered at college level. A database of fall 1990 first-time-in-college English students was categorized by skill level. The report compared measures of student success by ethnicity, age category, gender, and disability status. Three measures of success were used: academic performance; a longitudinal design comparing cumulative grade point average (GPA) and cumulative units earned; and persistence. Success rates in English courses taken in fall 1990 varied by skill level: 47% of the Basic Skills students, 54.7% of the English 51/56 (Basic Composition and College Reading Study Skills), and 47.2% of the college-level entrants earned successful grades in their English course; 41.4% of the Basic Skills students, 34.4% of the English 51/56 students, and 45% of the college-level students did not complete their English course. Other findings included the following: (1) basic skill entrants were more likely to earn zero units during the fall 1990 term than other groups; (2) tracking cumulative GPA over four semesters showed little difference between Basic Skills students and English 51/56 students, but a significant difference between these groups and college-level students, who consistently had a GPA approximately one-quarter point higher; and (3) after four semesters, persistence was highest for college-level students (66.4%) and lowest for English 51/56 students (53.7%). (KP)