The second British Columbia (B.C.) Reading Assessment was conducted in the spring of 1980 to evaluate the reading skills of students in grades 4, 8, and 12. The four areas of reading achievement measured were word attack, word meaning, passage comprehension, and applied reading/study skills. A panel of evaluators included educators and representatives of the lay public. Student background information was gathered, and student attitude toward reading was measured via the Estes Reading Attitude Scale. Information was also gathered from teachers on their backgrounds and instructional practices associated with reading instruction. Major findings of the assessment are summarized and include the following: (1) the applied reading domain received satisfactory (S) or very satisfactory (VS) ratings; (2) the comprehension domain was rated S in all grades; (3) the structural analysis objective was rated marginal (M) at all grade levels; and (4) many background variables related to achievement in reading including sex, place of birth, T.V., reading habits, kindergarten attendance and attitude toward reading. (RL)