The Fluency First in English as a second language (ESL) project at City College (New York) began as a result of the high failure rate among ESL writing students at the college, and the fact that this kept many students from entering the regular college courses. Revision on the ESL reading and writing curricula, beginning in 1987, focused on incorporating the whole language approach to developing fluency and resulted in a significant departure from conventional ESL pedagogy. Faculty workshops were developed, and subsequent implementation of changes in ESL teaching resulted in improved student writing and in higher student success rates. The new curriculum was formalized and training was offered more broadly and consistently. Course repetition rates have declined substantially, college-level writing test passing rates have increased from 33 percent to 70 percent, and the ESL passing rate in freshman composition courses has almost doubled. ESL teachers express satisfaction with the curriculum, faculty workshops, and student progress. Students have evaluated the program positively, and teachers from other parts of the country have responded enthusiastically to conference presentations about the approach. (MSE)