This study sought to determine whether there would be any significant difference in the scores on an English reading test between second and third grade Puerto Rican students in a bilingual program, and second and third grade students in the same school, but not in the program. The subjects, 160 predominantly disadvantaged Puerto Rican students, were described according to their reading readiness test scores, ages, grades, and sexes. The experimental group received bilingual reading instruction for two and three years respectively. The control group received instruction in English only. All subjects were administered the Test of Reading. The "t" tests revealed no significant differences between the experimental and control groups for both second and third grade. However, they did reveal that the boys in the experimental group received scores that were significantly higher than the scores of the boys in the control group. No significant differences was found among girls. The results of the study indicated that the program was partially successful in meeting the needs of bilingual students. (LL)