The Bidwell Training Center, Inc., in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, evaluated the effectiveness of IBM's Principle of the Alphabet Literacy System (PALS), an interactive instructional program to teach adolescents and adults writing and reading skills. Bidwell's goal was to use PALS to teach large numbers of adults who read below the fifth-grade level. Every effort was made to implement the PALS program strictly as outlined by IBM. However, the center conducted 15-week cycles rather than the recommended 20-week cycles, with open entry. The computer lab, which cost approximately $50,000, was sectioned into three major work stations. Students used INfo-window stations, a double-sided instructional videodisc, a work journal, word processing stations, and a typing program. Students who tested at grades 2-4 level at the beginning of the program fared best, advancing an average of 1.7 grade levels by the end of the program. Students below this level were little helped, but would have been screened out by IBM. Bidwell concluded that PALS can be an effective tool in teaching adults to read and write, but suggested both improvements to the program and ways to incorporate PALS into a holistic instructional approach using phonemics, linguistics, language expression, structural analysis, and multilevel comprehension techniques. (KC)