The relationship between attention and reading achievement in first graders was investigated for 48 boys and 33 girls in five first-grade classrooms of the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District in New Jersey. The statistical analysis provided separate data for boys and girls in regard to the relationship between reading achievement and attention, reading achievement and IQ, and attention and IQ. Findings indicated a significant positive relationship between reading achievement and attention for both boys and girls. Those students who had the higher reading achievement scores had the higher scores on attention, and those students who had the lower reading achievement scores had the lower attention scores. The role of IQ in attention and reading achievement was less clearly defined. The data indicated that the relationship between IQ and reading achievement was not significant for boys but that it was significant for girls. In addition, the relationship between IQ and attention was not significant for boys but it was significant for girls. Boys and girls in the sample were found to be similar in regard to their reading performance and percentage of attention. (Author/TS)