A guide to the implementation of the Entry Level Skills Program (ELSP) and a conceptual framework for evaluation research is presented. Attention is directed to strategies for the attainment of goals and management of the ELSP project, which is a developmental program for freshmen students who have not acquired the full range or level of cognitive skills needed for college. Overall, the project was designed to provide professionals, and particularly women and minorities at the postdoctoral and predoctoral levels, the opportunity to design and implement the evaluation research component of the ELSP. The competency-based skills program is based on the planning, management, and evaluation (PME) systems concept to instruction and student testing using a standardized pre- and post-test battery and a series of criterion-referenced tests (e.g., the Comparative Guidance and Placement Program battery). The role that a management information system (MIS) plays in ELSP implementation and development is addressed, and a MIS open-systems model that can be utilized in the curriculum development process is presented, along with a theoretical model for the development of a PME plan for the ELSP. The process for the flow of information and data management is also described. The major functions of the PME are identified and defined: planning, organizing, coordinating, monitoring, and assessing. Additional objectives of the program--to assist participating institutions in the development of instructional systems (i.e., instructional strategies, recordkeeping, and classroom management)--are also noted. Various questionnaires, forms, flow charts, and data elements are appended, along with a bibliography. (SW)