Abstract
A series of three studies was conducted, the first two at the intermediate grade level and the third at the primary grade level. The purpose of these studies was to investigate the effects of an experimental classroom reading program in which students who passed pretests on basal skills were excused from subsequent instruction and practice on these skills. Most students were able to pass pretests on reading skills before the skills were covered in the basal reader program. Without instruction their performance on end-of-book skill tests remained high. Results suggest that it may be possible to excuse many students in the elementary grades from many of the skill activities in the basal reader program and that students' attention could be directed, instead, to other reading activities.