Patients receive 5 weeks of induction chemotherapy consisting of prednisone IV twice a day on days 1-28, then decreasing in dose on days 29-35; vincristine IV on days 8, 15, 22, and 29; cyclophosphamide IV over 1 hour on day 8; daunorubicin IV over 24 hours on days 15, 22, and 29; asparaginase IV or IM on days 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, 27, 30, and 32; and methotrexate IV over 3 hours on day 8. Patients also receive methotrexate and methylprednisolone intrathecally (IT) on days 1, 4, 9, and 15.