The primary purpose of the South Carolina Statewide Testing Program is to assess the achievement of fourth, seventh, and tenth grade public school students. Test results provide educators with information which facilitates the decision-making process. For the second time, Form U of the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills was the instrument 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 school and district comparisons, 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 1984 Statewide Testing Program. South Carolina student achievement levels were above, or just below, the national average for Grades four and seven and generally below the national average for Grade 10. The achievement scores in all grades improved from last year. This pattern of progress is viewed as an indication of improvement in the statewide instructional process. As more instructional and curricular programs are instituted, a continued trend towards improved education for students is envisioned. (Author/DWH)