Short answer -- I'd say Algebra II. The SAT is changing, starting spring 2016. You can read about the new math SAT at

The Redesigned SAT (section IV) and
Evaluating the New PSAT: Math

Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/sat says it will have study material for the new math SAT in June of this year.

I'm just curious about the "writing" on the SAT. Do students actually need to write an essay, or is it just a multiple choice tests ABOUT essays? I looked at the link but figured it would be easier to ask if someone can answer quickly. DD is only in fourth grade but would freak out if she needed to plan and write something, esp. in a time limit.

After reading https://www.collegeboard.org/delivering-opportunity/sat/faqs , I think you do not need to write an essay if you just want math and verbal scores . The SAT is going back to two scores, each in the 200-800 range.

My son took a sample new SAT a few months ago. One of the differences from the old SAT & new is the level of math. SAT used to go through Geometry, while ACT you needed at least 1/2 year of Algebra II. The new SAT is trying to match the level of the ACT. But I would check what topics are covered in one of the above resources. Not all Algebra classes cover the same topics particularly with the changes in Common Core.

Keep in mind that the SAT/ACT test the problems do go from easiest to hardest. So your daughter can probably get a 'good' score for her age without having mastered all of the material. It is more important that basic Algebra & Geometry are solid.

As to the essay. It's the same as the old SAT just the essay is optional and not included in the total score. This is also in line with what the ACT does.

Ok, thanks. I guess that's both good and bad news. I was hoping that there would be no essay writing at all, but at least it's optional and there is a way out if DD does not get past this angst by the time she has to take the test. It seems like the scoring of an essay would be so subjective.

MY DS16 has the same problem with writing and needs to take the SAT next year. My son will get freeze with the essay writing and put down nothing. I figure he may have to take the SAT a few times because it might just mean hitting the right prompt. It's a very frustrating problem in H.S. At least he takes the PSAT first and that doesn't have an essay.

At least with the new test his writing score won't have to include the essay score. Even in the 'old' test many schools let you superscore. Take the best score from each section to make your total.

Can try the ACT too. However, for kids applying to college, best to take the ACT with writing. The essay score does not figure into the composite score, but many colleges require the ACT with writing (even though they don't give much weight to the essay score). For a middle school kid, I would do the ACT w/o writing or the new SAT (starts March 2016) without the essay.

Our #1 just took the SAT. The essay is the first section presented, so that might be something those with writing anxiety will have to work on--don't let the essay throw you off for the rest of the test.

I assume that once the essay becomes optional in Spring 2016, it will be given last, so that some test takers can leave.

That really surprised me when I found out about it. My older DD only took the ACT and that did the writing part last.

When my DS took the 'sample' test of the new format a few months back they still did the writing section first. This surprised my son & I since they test was supposed to be a sample PSAT. And the PSAT has no essay at all. My DS just didn't even try to write the essay since he knew it was only a practice test and didn't matter.

I got emails from Khan Academy saying the site is now ready.

Off-topic comment for this thread but relevant to the forum:

There may be students who have accelerated too much in math, leaving them with a weak foundation. But there are also gifted math students who need a lot of acceleration. I am concerned that some teachers and administrators use the logic above to oppose all acceleration. It is not true that all young students, when accelerated, "simply learn more facts without conceptual understanding or developing the mathematical reasoning strategies needed for higher level math".

The writing part is "optional" for non-competitive colleges. Competitive colleges will expect you to have written an essay.

Younger kids taking the SAT for talent search or DYS applications can skip it though.

I think another change with the new SAT is that there is now no penalty for guessing. It used to be that you should leave a question blank if you have no idea on it, but now you can guess away!

Yep - it is the latest not so subtle coded way for minority applicants to declare their minorityness to the admissions panel now that unfair and academically undeserved preferences are no longer able to be made explicitly.

Mecreature, thanks for sharing. When my son was in the 3rd grade finishing up an outside of school pre-alg class (focused on the algebra part) we were told he was ready for full algebra. He was outscoring all the 6-7th graders. As I was preparing to deal with his regular school on advanced placement, our life circumstances caused him to go 4-5 weeks with no math.

When we got back to the books, he remembered nothing. Could not even divide fractions (forgot the flip). I thought he was being stubborn. When I calmed down, started to think about the previous 3 years. Yes, he did all the work leading up to pre-alg, but he had only done no more than a hundred of each problem type. In some cases, maybe as few as 20. He just did not have the repetitions to sustain him over the gap.

I immediately, put him on a slower train. Spent a year making him redo the whole 5th & 6th grade classes (CTY). Glad we did. Realized that 6th grade is the math of normal life, and probably 40-50% of all achievement tests through H.S. Now, going to the 5th grade at school, he is back up to algebra (CTY). At school, he is at grade level and repeating and reinforcing the work he studied in advance. Because, he spends only minutes on school math homework, he has extra time for exploration. Also, he is killing all standard testing.

I plan to keep advanced math outside of school, until the 7th grade. I want the repetitons. Then, we will decide whether to put him on the algebra track at school, meaning that he will be repeating alg, geom, and probably alg 2, or advanced placement that will be a lot easier in middle school.

To some it all up, the professor has a point.

While the professor has a point for some kids, there are other gifted kids for whom the repetition is just not necessary (my ds is one of them). I suspect it's not necessarily repetition as much as being developmentally ready (and taught in a way) that a student understands the concepts.

I'm not an uber-accelerate-early parent, but there are benefits for accelerating in math if your child is capable and interested. In our district the primary benefit is access to upper level science courses.

Re the OP, I don't know anything about the math tracks in other school districts, but in our area, once you are in high school (as opposed to high school courses being taught in the middle school to honors level students), the math courses are not tracked, and course content is the same across courses for algebra/geometry/alg II and beyond. Students take them in whatever grade they are tracked into them, but they are with a wide range of ability students (although lower ability students don't typically reach the higher level courses).

polarbear

I think that what he is saying may be true for some kids. My DD9 was accelerated too much in math, IMO, in a gifted magnet, and she breezed through or completely skipped certain concepts that are very important (like decimals/fractions)...we are backing way up, as she has huge gaps, basically reversing the acceleration. I have heard that the kids in this gifted magnet, who are doing Algebra I in 5th or 6th grade, are really struggling when they get to the Jr. High and are faced with Algebra II. My other kid was also accelerated a lot and I'm not as worried about him, but I still want to go through things with him over the summer and make sure he is solid on basic computations, like long division, and gets the practice in. He is one of those kids who likes to do literally everything in his head, so I know conceptually, he is fine, but I'd also like him to know how to do things on paper.

A slightly different lens that perhaps offers a little connecting ground between the views above....

I think for most of our kids, it's not so much that they need repetition (though there is a certain amount of "use it or lose it" in play). The basic concepts of decimals, fractions, exponents, whatever, are easily taught, and the usual endless worksheets of basic problems that grind our kids down in elementary school are a big driver to "accelerate, now, more, PLEASE!" Most of them clearly don't need more of this kind of repetition.

At the same time, what most of them don't get is practice using those simple concepts in complex ways. There's tons of hard things you can do with those easy math tools, and there's value in spending some leisurely time with competition math, AoPS, etc, to find them. Otherwise, I think what might happen is some kids end up accelerated not too fast, necessarily, but too superficially. They have a great big box of tools and they understand the purpose of each one - but they've never been given anything but practice boards to work on, and have no idea what to do now that they suddenly need to bring all their tools together to build a house. Or a particle accelerator.

The "Official SAT Study Guide (2016 Edition)", with four practice tests, for students taking the test in March 2016 or later, is now available for about $17. Amazon reviewers http://www.amazon.com/Official-SAT-Study-Guide-2016/dp/1457304309 say the tests are online and the the book is not a necessary purchase. For 800 pages I don't mind buying a paper copy.