As part of the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) annual assessment of achievement, the Metropolitan Readiness Tests (MRT) were administered to approximately 14,768 first-grade pupils in the fall of 1983. The mean scaled scores of the DoDDS first graders clustered around the national mean of 150. The DoDDS mean scores in the various skill areas ranged from a high of 7.5 points above the national mean in auditory skills to a low of 1.1 points below the national mean in language. The DoDDS basic skills achievement testing program was administered to 47,861 students in all five DoDDS regions. Known as the Systemwide Testing Program, it measured the performance of students enrolled in grades 4, 6, 7, 9, and 11 in the basic skill areas of reading, language arts, and mathematics. DoDDS students on the average performed better than their stateside counterparts. Overall performance on the tests indicated high achievement for grades 6, 7, 9, and 11, with grade 7 evidencing the highest performance. In the content areas, language arts was observed as the strongest area, followed by reading and mathematics, respectively. By contrast, a notable weakness was evidenced in grade 4 mathematics. (BW)