The 1979-80 South Carolina Statewide Testing Program assessed the achievement of students in public school grades 3, 6, and 11. Results were used to facilitate the decision-making process of educators at the state, district, and school levels. The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) were used to measure achievement in the basic skill areas of reading, language, mathematics, reference skills, science, and social studies. For the fourth consecutive year, two levels of the CTBS were administered to grades 3 and 6. All 92 school districts participated in the program at all three grade levels. In all three grades, more than 40% of the students scored above the national average in language, science, and social studies. The lowest performance for all three grades was in mathematics. In reading, 46.8% of grade 3 students exceeded the national average, as did 43.8% of grade 6 students and 36.0% of grade 11 students. The highest average scores were recorded by grades 3 and 6 in science, and by grade 6 in reference skills. (RL)