ENGLISH COMPOSITION CLASSES IN THREE HIGH SCHOOLS WERE USED FOR AN EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM TO SHOW THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LAY READERS IN GRADING STUDENT PAPERS. THE PROGRAM WAS SPECIFIED AS "CONTRACT CORRECTING," OR STATED IN ANOTHER WAY, IT WAS AN ATTEMPT TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF AN ADEQUATE WRITING PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITHOUT THE HEAVY CORRECTING BURDEN WHICH SUCH A PROGRAM NECESSITATES FOR THE ENGLISH TEACHER. THE EXPERIMENTAL CLASSES WERE DIVIDED INTO 3 GROUPS--(1) 12 CLASSES IN WHICH CONTRACT LAY READERS GRADED COMPOSITIONS, WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE TEACHER, (2) 12 MORE CLASSES IN WHICH THE TEACHERS CORRECTED THE COMPOSITIONS THEMSELVES, AND (3) A CONTROL GROUP OF CLASSES WHERE A SECOND TEACHER GROUP WORKED WITH THE LAY READERS WHO CORRECTED THE COMPOSITIONS. ALL STUDENTS IN THE EXPERIMENT WERE GIVEN A SERIES OF IMPROMPTU THEME TESTS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. LAY READERS WHO GRADED A PART OF THE PAPERS HAD NO KNOWLEDGE AS TO WHEN EACH WAS WRITTEN. CLASSES WERE COMPARED USING COVARIANCE ANALYSIS. PROGRAM RESULTS REVEALED NO GREAT DEGREE OF IMPROVEMENT IN THE QUALITY OF STUDENT WRITING, THOUGH THE AMOUNT OF WRITING INCREASED WHEN LAY READERS WERE INVOLVED. THE LAY READERS ALSO PROVIDED SOME TEACHER RELIEF IN GRADING AND SEEMED TO AFFECT IN A POSITIVE WAY THE GENERAL EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ENGLISH COMPOSITION COURSE. (JH)