One hundred twenty first-grade Mexican-American students (60 from each Fort Worth and Laredo, Texas) were subjects of an experiment which attempted to determine whether bilingualism inhibits verbal ability in one or both of the children's languages. The PPVT-A (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Form A) was used to test verbal ability and bilingualism was assessed by a Spanish translation of the Hoffman Bilingual Schedule administered to the parents (a copy of which is reproduced in the appendix). Results, contrary to previous studies cited, showed that the degree of bilingualism was not negatively correlated with the PPVT-A in English or Spanish. The underlying complexities of testing bilingualism are discussed with particular reference to the importance of community influence on the child's bilingual ability. The article is divided into sections which discuss methods, results, and conclusions of research. Statistical tables and references are included. (CW)