HARTFORD — MATH Connections, a high school mathematics curriculum that has increased students' math proficiency by making the subject more relevant, will soon be available to students from Waterbury to Washington State. A key feature of making math more relevant is MATH Connections' demonstration of real world uses of math provided by members of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association."Using these real problems, students can see how math is used every day in the working world instead of asking, "What am I ever going to use this for?" asked Kenneth O. Decko, president and CEO of CBIA.

"MATH Connections is at the very forefront of the math revolution in the United States," Decko said. "It was developed because many students were completing high school unprepared to perform math functions that would be required of them in higher education and in the world of work. We've succeeded in getting students turned onto math. "Connecticut students who have used the curriculum are outperforming those who have taken a traditional math curriculum," Decko said. "Now, that same opportunity will be available to high school students nationwide."June G. Ellis, project director for MATH Connections, explained that a three-textbook series written by mathematics professors and teachers for MATH Connections has been published by It's About Time, an Armonk, NY company, in the 1997-1998 academic year. The company will use 20 regional representatives to visit schools around the country and conduct workshops on the curriculum.

"It's been amazing to see students who were having difficulty with mathematics suddenly become excited about working with math as a way of finding answers to all sorts of problems," Ellis said. "MATH Connections show them how they can use it in their future careers."

Developed through a National Science Foundation grant to CBIA, MATH Connections blends algebra, geometry, trigonometry, probability and statistics to show students how these math topics are interrelated. The program uses problems provided by mathematics, scientists and CBIA-member companies, and shows students how math is used in other academic subjects such as science, history, art and music. It also introduces them to technology through the use of computers and graphic calculators, and requires team projects that will build the students' communication skills.

MATH Connections has a proven record of success. Ellis said that statistics compiled by the State Department of Education show that students participating in MATH Connections score higher on the 10th-grade Mastery Test than students who take traditional math courses. MATH Connections is currently being taught in 17 high schools to approximately 3,700 students by 68 teachers. Decko noted that the curriculum helps students apply their knowledge, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, all of which will be crucial either in college or when they eventually get jobs. "The ability to communicate, think critically and problem-solve are of tremendous importance in today's workplace," he said. "It's no longer just a matter of pushing a button. But we've had a number of members complain that many of their entry-level employees cannot problem-solve or think critically."