In 1988, a study was conducted at Miami-Dade Community College to explain declining scores on the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) since 1984. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether students had changed in terms of their basic skills at college entry, native language, needs for English as a Second Language instruction, cumulative credits, grade point average (GPA), and number of completed English courses. Students who took the CLAST for the first time in March 1984, 1985, 1986, or 1987 were included in the study. Study findings included the following: (1) in 1985, 88% of the students who took all three English courses passed all four parts of the CLAST, while in 1987, only 74% passed all four parts; (2) 97% of the 1985 group who took all three English courses passed the reading subtest, compared to 84% of the 1987 group; (3) students taking the CLAST in 1987 had placement test scores and GPA's that were similar to students from previous years; (4) the number of native English speakers taking the CLAST increased from 51% in 1984 to 57% in 1987, eliminating English language skills as a factor in declining scores; and (5) the percentage of students who passed all three required English courses with a "C" or better increased from 54% in 1985 to 80% in 1987, eliminating the possibility that CLAST takers are not satisfactorily completing English requirements. (AAC)