DATA SECURED FROM SECOND GRADERS INVOLVED IN A COMPARISON OF THE USE OF THE INITIAL TEACHING ALPHABET (ITA) AND OF TRADITIONAL ORTHOGRAPHY WHILE IN THE FIRST GRADE ARE REPORTED. IN THE SECOND GRADE, 132 EXPERIMENTAL PUPILS TAUGHT BY ITA AND 123 CONTROL PUPILS TAUGHT WITH TRADITIONAL ORTHOGRAPHY WERE AVAILABLE FOR STUDY. A COMPARISON WAS MADE BY THE T-TEST OF THE MEDIANS OF VARIOUS TEST SCORES ACHIEVED BY THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL POPULATIONS. THE CRITERIA USED WERE THE CALIFORNIA SHORT-FORM TEST OF MENTAL MATURITY, LEVEL O, GIVEN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FIRST GRADE, THE STANFORD ACHIEVEMENT TEST PRIMARY BATTERY II, FORM W, GIVEN NEAR THE 140TH DAY IN THE SECOND GRADE, AND RATINGS ON A WRITING SAMPLE SECURED NEAR THE 160TH DAY OF THE SECOND GRADE. DIFFERENCES IN LANGUAGE ABILITY SCORES WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT EXCEPT FOR THE WORK STUDY SKILLS SECTION WHICH FAVORED THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. A WRITING SAMPLE RATED AT THE END OF THE FIRST GRADE FAVORED THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS, ALTHOUGH THE SECOND-GRADE SAMPLE DID NOT. A TABLE COMPARING THE MISSPELLINGS OF THE TWO GROUPS AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. THIS PAPER WAS READ AT THE AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING (NEW YORK CITY, FEBRUARY 18, 1967) AND IS A FOLLOWUP TO ED 003 469. (RH)