The Massachusetts Basic Skills Testing Program, mandated by Chapter 188 of the Acts of 1985, seeks to identify students who have not mastered basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. Because the Massachusetts Department of Education does not mandate any post-test action, it has not been possible to prescribe any method of providing help for students who fail. To describe how districts are using test results and to give some guidance to districts, a survey was conducted in April 1988 to ask all districts in the state about their use of the basic skills test results. Responses from 1,272 individuals, primarily school principals, have been incorporated into this handbook. Most schools follow rather similar steps: (1) notifying teachers of the student's failure; (2) verifying and corroborating results through teacher observation, classroom performance, and additional standardized testing; (3) diagnosing individual student needs; and (4) using several options to provide remedial services to students. The majority of schools do pay attention to the test results, and provide some type of follow-up for students. Appendix 1 contains the survey used to collect the data for this handbook. Appendixes 2 and 3 provide a comprehensive list and description of 59 standardized tests that many schools have found useful. These lists are provided as a reference to assist schools in choosing the most appropriate tests to meet their particular needs. Appendix 4 is a 10-item bibliography of test information resources. (SLD)