This study was designed to determine whether third-year pupils in a reading center project maintained their reading gains 16 months after leaving the program. Subjects consisted of two control groups and an experimental group--a random sample of third-year pupils enrolled at the reading center during the fall of the 1972-1973 school year. Criterion reading tests were administered as part of a country-wide testing program, completely independent of the reading center. Results of the study indicate that participants' gains tended to be maintained 16 months after they finished the program and that black participants may have benefited more than did the white participants, especially in the area of reading comprehension. (JM)