This executive summary presents information on the design rationale, project coordination, and findings for the first year of the Technology Applications in Basic Skills project (TAES), which was administered by the Merrimack Education Center and designed to implement programs that use the computer and related technologies to increase student competencies in the basic skills areas of writing, problem solving, and research/study skills in grades 6 through 8. The issues addressed in the first year of the project are presented in this report, which describes: how the project was planned and implemented by the Merrimack Education Center with the staff from three school sites in Burlington, Lunenburg, and Tewksbury, Massachuetts; how a program development model was chosen; the major elements of the project design; year one activities; and resulting curriculum changes in each of the three school sites. Ten major findings from year one are listed, and it is concluded that the existing basic skills curriculum often is not configured to make maximum utilization of technology, and that staff uncertainty about the new technologies leads to initial confusion about staffmember roles, lack of focus in the curriculum target area, and negative perceptions about lack of incentives and burdens of time. It is suggested that teachers need to broaden their view and perspecitve of technology in the curriculum and create new contexts for the skills development that is necessary to make appropriate and meaningful uses of technology in the schools. (JB)