"The MATH Connections curriculum, which I have taught for the past seven years at Crosby High School, has afforded our students with an effective and meaningful experience in their study of mathematics. At Crosby, we targeted a population of students who would have been placed in lower-level Algebra courses and/or had scored below state goals on the Connecticut Mastery Test in eighth grade. Data compiled over the years indicates that students in MATH Connections have exceeded our expectations for success and achievement in the mastery of mathematics. In 1996, the school's top two scorers on the math portion of the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT), taken by all sophomores, were MATH Connections students. The use of the graphing calculator, an integral part of the curriculum, enables students to visualize mathematical concepts.Students understand the relevance of mathematics in daily life through the interdisciplinary applications which are part of every lesson. Cooperative learning exercises and explorations motivate students to discuss the problem at hand and explore methods for obtaining a solution. These exchanges build teamwork skills and reinforce a respect and appreciation for the contributions of each student. In my opinion, the greatest strength of the MATH Connections curriculum is that it fosters critical thinking and problem- solving skills. MATH Connections students become independent thinkers unafraid to analyze a problem, brainstorm for methods to solve it and capable of giving oral and/or written justification for their conclusions." - Rosalie Griffin, Math Chairperson, Crosby High School, Waterbury, CT