On the other hand, I can't help but think that this is yet another example of the dumbing down of our educational system.
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Still, I personally think everyone, gifted or not, really should try to make it through Algebra I.
The dumbing down of our educational system is a major topic for me, being a public high school teacher. On the one hand (since we're using hands, LOL), I do worry about the dumbing down, as you said, and see it in my own subject area (English). On the other hand, as previous posters have mentioned, we're educating children at a higher level than ever before, where children who wouldn't have been to high school before are now required to attend, at least until age 16.
I consider the abstract thought required for Algebra, and wonder if that's the problem with forcing all students to take it in 8th or 9th grade. I teach 9th graders: I can tell you that a lot of them are still thinking very concretely. Perhaps the outcome would be better if they could take Algebra as an upperclassman? The problem, programmatically speaking, is that states require multiple years of math for graduation, and the math classes run sequentially. So, a student waiting until junior year to take Algebra 1 will not have enough time to complete the requirements and graduate on time.
