The Study of Adult Reading Acquisition (SARA) is a longitudinal research project designed to measure the development of reading subskills in adults enrolled in instructional programs. The study participants are all students enrolled in a variety of adult education sites and settings, including correctional institutions, community-based programs, adult basic education (ABE) classes, general educational development (GED) classes, public assistance job programs, and tutoring services. The study design serves as a model for using achievement tests in conjunction with cognitive assessments as part of a comprehensive assessment strategy. Included are a vocabulary test, propositional processing tests, a decoding test, a word recognition test, and a silent reading rate test. As in traditional assessment schemes, achievement tests are administered at intervals of instruction appropriate for observing change. In addition, cognitive assessments are given at more closely spaced intervals to monitor stability or change in underlying skills or to decide whether additional diagnostic measures would be helpful. This approach presents a new level of analysis that could help to promote understanding of the enigmatic acquisition processes of adults learning to read. (An appendix provides samples of parts of the assessments.) (Contains 79 references.) (Author/KC)