There has been much controversy over the effectiveness of bilingual education in helping English language learning (ELL) students to become successful students. One variable overlooked in this literature has been the use of effective instruction in these programs. This investigation compared students in a schoolwide reading program that utilizes research-based practices, Success for All (SF A) and its Spanish counterpart Éxito Para Todos (EPT). Three groups of third-grade students were compared at 8-week intervals throughout the school year: English-speaking students in SF A, ELL (English language learning) students in SF A with ESL (English as a Second Language), and ELL students in EPT. All three groups experienced gains over the school year, with the gap between the EPT and SF A only groups narrowed and no statistically significant differences discovered between the EPT and SF A + ESL groups.