DESCRIPTORS ComOutcr Assisted Instruction; *Computer Literacy;

As more school districts install computers at all grade levels, order and evaluate instructional software, and send educational personnel to computer seminars, curriculum decisions concerning computers become mandatory. To clarify the conditions or factors which might affect the rationality of a school district's decision on computer literacy requirements in the curriculum, a participant observation study was conducted in a midwestern metropolitan area over the period of an academic year. This paper describes the rationale for selection of the specific school district, the methodology used in the study, and the computer (literacy issues debated by each of the three committeesthat were formed to look at specific issues pertinent to grades K-3, 4-6, and 7-12. The three major issues addressed by the committees were: what the term "computer literacy " means for students in grades K-3; whether computer assisted instruction (CAI) or programming should be the emphasis in grades 4-6; and how changes in the computer literacy level of elementary school students would affect the existing computer course for eighth graders. Each comvittee's deliberations and findings on these issues are reported, and the concluding section discusses limitations of the study and presents recommendations for future action. A list of references is provided. (JB) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are,the best that can be made from the original document. 41