This instructional booklet presents an overview of the Developmental Education Student Retention Tracking System (DESRTS), developed by the South Carolina State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education to make information available on the retention and graduation of developmental students in the state's technical colleges. Following an overview of the purposes of DESRTS, the elements of the tracking system are described, indicating that it contains data related to student identification, program identification, course information, and determining student status. The process undertaken to develop the System is then described and methods for identifying cohorts are detailed, revealing that first-time freshmen are tracked for approximately 5 years, with cohorts formed of students' who score high enough on assessment tests to take college-level courses but need some developmental classes (Cohort I) and those who need prerequisite assistance (Cohort II). The following six reports generated by the System are then reviewed: (1) headcounts and percentages of students who began in developmental courses; (2) Cohort I students who completed their development work; (3) Cohort I students who did not complete their developmental work; (4) first-time freshman with associate degree majors; (5) Cohort II students' activities after prerequisite courses; and (6) Cohort II students' changes in majors. Samples and explanations are then presented for each report. Finally, discussions are provided of the reliability of data generated by DESRTS, the uses of the data, and plans for further study. (HAA)