The purpose of this study was to analyze the teachers' manuals of the leading commercial high school reading programs to determine the extent to which they provide effective vocabulary instruction as advocated by the leading professional organizations in literacy. By synthesizing the standards of instruction from professional organizations, effective practices for teaching vocabulary and improving students' overall performance were determined. This study evaluated the 3 leading commercial reading programs for high school students, READ 180, Fast Track, and Language!, and revealed that none of these programs met all the standards required for effective instruction.