The activities and results of the first year of a two-year student assessment pilot program are described, based on a 1978 mandate by the Kansas Legislature requiring the development of minimum competency objectives in the areas of reading and mathematics for students in grades 2, 4, 6, 8, and 11 and instruments for assessing those competencies. During the first year, the objectives were developed and criterion-referenced tests were administered to a stratified random sample of 4,635 students. Cautions regarding interpretation of these preliminary data are given. Lists are provided of those objectives for which the sample had the greatest success or greatest difficulty. (A few sample items and all the objectives for each grade level are appended). (Author/CTM)