How does your water look? I'm assuming if you just finished pool school, it's hopefully still clean and clear.
Our system here is based on understanding the entire range of your pool's chemical levels. Your pool is a giant chemistry set, and everything we test for interacts with everything else - if all the chemicals are in balance and playing nicely together, you get a pool that sparkles like a diamond (a diamond that is more clear sparkles more - water acts very similarly). For this, test strips (we call them guess strips because they're wildly inaccurate), the little partial test kits, and pool store testing (where they'll try to sell you all kinds of things you don't need, and then when you use those chems and it messes up your pool, they're happy to sell you MORE chems to fix what got messed up) aren't good enough - they don't work (no, not even the pool store, where you can get different results with the same test sample!). The best way to understand and take care of your own pool is to have the tests needed to do that. Here, we recommend a TF-100 (
TFTestkits.net) or a K-2006C (
TFTestkits.net). Both of those kits have all the tests you need to properly care for your pool. You can find them at the links there.
While we're waiting on the test kits, I'll answer your immediate questions as best I can:
pH should be kept in the range of around 7.2-8. Your pH is high, and with new plaster, you'll need muriatic acid to bring it down. The acid you buy should be 31% for the best economy, and you're going to need more than a few jugs to get you through the early months while your plaster cures. Don't bother with dry acid, it's a waste of money, same with "pH Down" - this is basically an overpriced product. You can find Muratic Acid in a number of places, shop around and see who has the best value - try big box stores like WalMart and Home Depot, Lowes, etc.
Since we don't know your CYA levels (that is a test you're missing), we can't say what your chlorine should be. While the pool store may tell you "keep it between 1 and 2", this doesn't take into account CYA, which binds/buffers with the chlorine to protect it from the sun. The more CYA, the less chlorine is available to keep bacteria and algae at bay, so we need to know your CYA level to tell you where your chlorine level should be.
TA - This is a "magic" number. There is no "correct" value for TA - generally, the lower it is (down to a certain point), the slower your pH will rise. For now, I'd say don't try to mess with your TA, it's pretty good at the current level. 70 is pretty good - I maintain mine around 60-70.
Finally, chlorine tablets. I spoke about CYA above. These tablets add CYA to your pool. This is ok if CYA is low (we like to see it around 50-70, especially in sunny Houston), but CYA doesn't really leave the pool - it accumulates in there, and every time you add a new chlorine tab, you're adding even more CYA. We recommend bleach or liquid chlorine (they're the same thing) here because all it adds is a little salt. On the other hand, you have to add it daily during the summer - no dropping in a tablet and forgetting about it. Keep this in mind and consider not using the tablets - they're going to cost you a LOT of money in the long run.
Lastly, some reading!
First, read here:
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Then, read here:
Pool School - Getting Started
Come back with any questions you may have.
and let those kids swim!!!!!