Because the primary years are the point where specific changes are required in teaching practice and school organization, a task force examined Kentucky's primary program through school visits, interviews, expert testimony, and research. The last three years have shown marked improvement in student performance in the basics (reading, writing, and mathematics). There is a challenge to teach both these basic skills and higher subject matter content. The task force's recommendation is that the General Assembly retain the primary program, with the flexibility for school implementation adopted in 1994, and encourage schools, districts, local boards, and school councils to focus on implementing the program fully and well. To improve Kentucky's primary schools, it is more important to confront implementation problems than to change Kentucky statute. Recommendations for implementation include: (1) increasing efforts to improve leadership skills of principals and administrators; (2) concentrating on actual classroom practice, including training in the use of Kentucky Early Learning Profile (KELP); (3) distributing good, usable materials to teachers; (4) disseminating primary configuration maps to school councils, teachers, and administrators; (5) stressing professional development in the use of technology; (6) facilitating communication between parents and schools; (7) clarifying requirements for multi-age grouping; (8) increasing training of elementary school teachers in score writing and mathematics portfolios; (9) disseminating information to teachers about flexibility for grouping kindergarten students; and (10) insuring that basics, as well as subject matter and skills beyond the basics, are taught well. (Contains 22 references.) (BGC)