During the 2013-2014 school year, the Maryland State High School Assessment in Algebra with Data Analysis (HSA) was a requirement for high school graduation in Maryland. At Frederick High School, only 27 percent of students who took the test that year passed. To respond to such an alarming failure rate, three teachers and the author developed and piloted a new approach to teaching the curriculum, along with other skills necessary for improving students' success--not only on the HSA but also in the class, students' other classes, and in life. The pilot program had four sections of twenty preselected students each, with a mix of ability, grade level, and language comprehension (27 percent of the pilot students were classified as English language learners [ELLs]). All of the students had failed the HSA at least once; several had done so multiple times, and all students were considered likely to fail either the assessment again or the class itself.