in 2001 and 2002, a group of students in victoria, australia, studied a final year secondary mathematics course for university entrance that permitted use of a computer algebra system (CAS) for the first time in our region. this paper summarizes the changes to curriculum, assessment and teaching that occurred and discusses some major issues emerging. teachers found they could give students a better overview of topics and saw benefit in some students moving more quickly through lengthy calculations that would otherwise frustrate them. the four teachers adopted different teaching styles with CAS. but they all stressed by-hand procedures as the basis of understanding. teachers spent time developing students' appreciation of the need to use CAS in a discerning way and the algebraic insight that is needed to deal with the sometimes surprising answers provided by the machine. some new topics could be added to the curriculum, but greater explicitness about the value of question design and marking schemes. the final examination needed careful design, especially so that users of different CAS were treated equitably. students demonstrated good achievement on all aspects of the course. in summary, the trial was a success and is now expanding to more schools.