The selection, administration and results of a statewide school readiness test in South Carolina are described in this report. As one component of South Carolina's Basic Skills Assessment Program, the "Cognitive Skills Assessment Battery" (CSAB) was chosen to distinguish those children who are ready for the formal first grade curriculum from those who are not and to assist South Carolina teachers in determining the individual developmental needs of each child. The process of establishing a standard or cut-off score for the CSAB is explained. A brief description of the statewide administration of the readiness test and an interpretation of the test scores are given. Statewide results are presented for the total group tested and for subgroups that differed on the variables of sex, educational experience as a 5-year-old, lunch program participation, repeater status, and age. Briefly described in the last section are follow-up activities conducted to: (1) assess local educators' problems with the CSAB; (2) identify changes which occurred locally as a result of the adoption of the state kindergarten objectives and the administration of the first grade readiness test; and (3) survey the key features of local readiness programs planned for 1980-81. Among the appendixes are a list of the state kindergarten objectives and the interview questions and results from the survey of kindergarten and first grade teachers. (Author/JA)