The primary purpose of the Statewide Testing Program is to assess the achievement of 4th, 5th, and 10th grade students in South Carolina public schools. The results provide educators with information which facilitates the decision-making process at the State, district, and school levels. For the third consecutive year, Form U of the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills was used to measure achievement in the areas of Reading, Spelling, Language, Mathematics, Reference Skills, Science, and Social Studies. Many cautions concerning interpretation of norm-referenced test results are discussed, including content validity problems, the inappropriateness of comparing schools or districts, the importance of socioeconomic influences on test results, and the dangers inherent in using the grade equivalent score. All 92 South Carolina school districts participated in the 1985 Statewide Testing Program. South Carolina student achievement levels were above the national average for Grades 4 and 10 and generally above the national average for Grades 5 and 7. The achievement scores in the three grades tested in both 1984 and 1985 improved considerably from last year. This pattern of progress is viewed as an indication of continuing improvement in the statewide instructional process. (Author/JAZ)