Much interest has been directed toward instructional resources and their effect on student achievement. Results of studies show positive, negative, and no effects of some of these resources on achievement. This paper analyzes the distributions of reading instructional time, materials, and personnel of four New York State school districts with respect to age, grade, and student reading ability, using the student as the unit of analysis. In general, students of low ability received more instructional time than students of middle or high ability, especially when such instruction was provided by a reading specialist or paid aide. Since low-ability students do not achieve as well as high-ability students in spite of the increase in the amount of resources, these resources may appear to have negative effects. (Author)