Commercially developed basal reading programs are used in most elementary school classrooms in the United States. Yet often neither the publishers developing these programs nor the members of textbook adoption committees selecting programs are able to take advantage of the best available knowledge about the reading process and reading instruction. The Center for the Study of Reading's "A Guide to Selecting Basal Reading Programs" is a major effort to make such knowledge available. The "Guide" presents current information about research and practice in reading and provides guidelines for evaluating programs. Four textbook adoption committees piloted the "Guide" and found, in general, that it contributed to a more informed selection process and led committee members to focus more attention on substantive issues associated with quality of instruction and content and give less attention to more superficial and political aspects of the programs. Four factors emerged from the evaluation of the "Guide" as contributing to its successful use: (1) committee enthusiasm and effectiveness, (2) adequate time to use the materials, (3) leadership in the textbook adoption process, and (4) inservice support from a knowledgeable source. Three pages of references and three tables are provided. (FL)