The Instructional Aide Program of the Columbus (Ohio) Public Schools trained instructional aides to provide direct instruction to selected underachieving pupils in the classroom setting. The aides attended in-service training sessions and were provided with supplementary materials and numerous instructional activities in the areas of oral language, written language, and reading skills. Teachers involved in the program were assigned an aide to supervise for half a day every day during the 1986-1987 school year. The program, which involved 2,224 kindergartners and first graders, 158 aides, and 224 teachers, was implemented through the practice of daily instructional activities to strengthen and extend regular classroom work. Emphasis was placed on activities to enhance language arts skills needed to be successful in school. Components of the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS 1981) were administered as pre- and posttests to 39 kindergarten and 1,378 first grade students who met attendance requirements. Results indicated that all the program objectives for kindergarten students were achieved, and that all objectives but one were achieved for the first grade students. The Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) objective called for an average gain of 1.0 for each month, but the total average gain was 2.3 NCEs for the seven-month period. However, teacher ratings indicated that the reading skills of target pupils were substantially enhanced through direct interaction with the instructional aides. Findings suggest that the program was effective and should be continued. (A pupil census form, classroom teacher and instructional aide program survey forms, and an instructional aide assessment instrument form are appended.) (NKA)