COMPUTING IN THE PHOENIX UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
Early Academic Timesharing starting out  with HP-2000A

Looking for stories and pictures from  Phoenix Union High School Time Share System days with the old  HP-2000

Phoenix Union High School System
in its final form -  HP 2000F 

Computer Exchange Inc  converted to it  to an  
HP 2000 ACCESS system and then it 
was sold to Phoenix Heat Treating.
This system was traded back to CEX
when Phoenix Heat Treating upgraded to
an HP-3000 Series II we  had sold them.

Computer Exchange saved the 2116 
Processor and set it aside 
as it would not  run the 2000-Access 
Microcode that needed to be added 
to the IOP  for the conversion..
Yes... the very heart of the orig. 
HP-2000A  system that 
Phoenix Union High School District 
had. It is on display at  SMECC!
   

INTRODUCTION  

During the 1969-70 school year the Phoenix Union High School System purchased a Hewlett-Packard 2000A Time-Sharing Computer. This compu­ter, purchased with matching funds from an NDEA Title III grant, was named the Educational Computer, since it is used exclusively for in­structional purposes. Since the original acquisition, the Educational Computer has gone through several updates. The last expansion was in the 1973-74 school year. At present this Hewlett-Packard Computer is a 2000F model which can communicate with 32 users simultaneously. Fifty-seven terminals are utilized by academic departments in the schools which results in approximately a two-to-one ratio of the number of users compared to the computer service available. The computer is located at the District Office and services the terminals over tel­ephone lines.

Originally, the Educational Computer was used for teaching programming languages, and for problem solving in mathematics and science classes. However, during the last seven years the use of academic computing in the Phoenix Union High School System has experienced considerable growth. Currently, a number of academic areas are utilizing the Educational Computer for a variety of applications. Departments currently using the Educational Computer include Mathematics, Science, Reading, English, Foreign Language, Social Studies, Business, and Home Economics.  

ACADEMIC COMPUTING 
ANNUAL STATUS REPORT
PHOENIX UNION HIGH SCHOOL SYSTEM 
June 30, 1977 
Rick Meyer Educational Computer Specialist 

PREFACE
The purpose of this status report is three-fold.

FIRST: It provides historical information on the background 
of academic computing in the Phoenix Union High School System.

SECOND: It furnishes a summary of the current
utilization of the Educational Computer.

THIRD: It states goals for the future and suggests 
the budgetary implications of these goals.

The Hewlett-Packard computer was purchased by the Phoenix Union High School
System during the 1969-70 school year. Since that time, reports have been
written which provide information on numerous aspects of the computer's use.
This report is the first attempt to write an "all inclusive" report. It
will be updated on an annual basis hereafter.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface . . . . . .i
Table of Contents .ii
List of Tables ....iii
I Introduction. 
History.1
Effectiveness of Computer Assisted Instruction .2
II Organization.4
III Equipment •.5
IV Applications.6
V Use by Students 12
VI Costs..........17
VII Goals ........21
VIII Needs Assessment.24
IX Miscellaneous Requirements Pertaining to a New Computer 27
X Alternatives Regarding Additional Computer Resources ..  29
XI Recommendations Regarding Additional Computer Resources 30
XII Future Cost. • . . . • . • . • . • . • . • . • . . . . 31

LIST OF TABLES 


1. BATCH Processing of Student Programs................ 13 
2. CAM Processing of Student Tests..................... 14 
3. Time-Shared BASIC Usage by Students................. 15 
4. Terminal and Datrex (Phone Lines) Distribution.......16 
5. Hardware Costs: Computer/Peripherals/Cartridges......17 
6. Hardware Cost: Terminals and Miscellaneous Equipment.18 
7. Summary of Hardware Costs. ......................... 18 
8. 1974-77 Operational Expenditures.....................19
9. Cost of Phone Service to Educational Computer Datrex System)... 20 

HISTORY 

On November 6, 1969, the Board of Education of the Phoenix Union High 
School System approved the NDEA-ESEA Title III Computer Assisted Instruc­
tion Proposal and on April 16, 1970, authorized purchase of a Hewlett­
Packard 2000A time-sharing system with matching district funds. This 
computer had the ability of communicating with 16 users simultaneously 
and cost a total of $101,232. 

It was emphasized in the April 16, 1970, Board Agenda that this acquisition 
could not achieve all the purposes that were outlined in the Computer 
Assisted Instruction Proposal which had been approved by the Superintendent's 
Staff, Curriculum Council, Division of General Education, Computer Assisted 
Instruction Committee, and the Director of Federal Programs. But it was 
documented that this project was a start which could be expanded to 
accommodate future needs for development of individualized instruction. 

During the 1970-71 school year the Hewlett-Packard was upgraded to a 2000B 
model which had the capability of communicating with 32 users simultaneously. 
This upgrade was again purchased with matching NDEA funds. The total cost 
was $34,802,40.

 Another upgrade took place in the 1972-73 school year when the Hewlett­
Packard became a 2000C'. This upgrade provided additional storage memory 
on the computer at the cost of $38,075.00. This purchase was made entirely 
with district money. 

The final upgrade* took place in the 1973-74 school year when the Hewlett­
Packard was transformed into a 2000F. This upgrade improved the performance 
of the computer but did not involve the acquisition of additional components. 
There was no charge for this upgrade which was performed by the Hewlett­
Packard Company. 

Currently, our Hewlett-Packard 2000F has fifty-two terminals** tied to it 
over telephone lines. However, it only communicates with 32 terminals 
simultaneously. Users are serviced on a first come, first served, basis. 

The major problem which has been facing the Educational Computer Center for 
several years now is not being able to supply computer assistance to 
academic departments in our schools which request this service. During the 
1974-75 school year, the district released a request for proposals (RFP) for 
a new computer system. Proposals were received from six vendors as a result 
of this RFP. On May 29, 1975, the Board of " Education rejected all six. The 
problem still exists. The solution is up to the Board of Education. 

* The card reader for the Educational Computer was replaced with a newer 
model during the 1973-74 school year at a cost of $2,782.00 

** The district owns 60 terminals; 52 are "on-line" with the computer; 

5 are "off-line"; and 3 are assigned to the Educational Computer Center. 
_____________________________________________________________

SECTION III 

EQUIPMENT 

The components of the Educational Computer, the terminals, terminal covers, 

and the keypunches are owned by the district. The communications equipment 
is rented from the telephone company. Section V of this report shows the 
placement of this equipment and Section VI shows the cost by year, starting 
with the initial purchase. The following is a list of the equipment. 

A. Computer Components: 

1 - 2100A Central Processor 
1 - 2116B Communications Processor 
2 - 7900A Disc Drives 

1 - 7970A Magnetic Tape Drive 
1 - 2748A Paper Tape Reader 
1 - 2767A Line Printer 
1 - ASR-35 Teletype Console 
1 - 7261A Card Reader 

B. Terminals: 
56 Teletypes (ASR-33) 
1 Digilog Telecomputer Terminal 
3 Infoton Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Terminals 
 

C. Terminal Covers 
32 Van San Sound-Off Dampeners, Model 1026 

D. Keypunches: 
12 026 Keypunches 
1 029 (Equivalent) Keypunch 
 

E. Communications Network: 
32 Local Datrex Lines 
20 Remote Datrex Lines 

Academic Computing

in the 

Phoenix Union High
 School System

1969-1979

Click below to get 5 PDF files   

(added 3-31-2014)

Other materials related to this Phoenix Union High School HP-2000 computer
system we are looking for that were issued and noted in other publications:

Video Tape
Three video tapes have been made by Phoenix
Union High School personnel as follows:

The following is a partial list of available materials.
Phoenix Union High School System Materials
for Computer Education entitled "Computers & Computer Applications, A Film
Bibliography" by Doris Lidtke.

In addition to the above mentioned materials, the Educational Computer Center
has a library of books on computers and the application of computer technology
to instruction. These books are available on loan. A list of the books
follows: