Is this true? It sounds wacky even for California.
I think it's not true. I found the bill and it doesn't say anything about putting everyone in lockstep, though it does mention that "One set of standards is adopted at each grade level."
Here's something from an article I found (dated late July):
Former State Superintendent Bill Honig chairs the Instructional Quality Commission... and insists that many students will continue to take Algebra, and he points to the guidelines that the State Board passed on Wednesday for the just-appointed framework committee. They direct the Committee to present school districts with options for an “acceleration path” so that students capable of handling Algebra I can progress to it by eighth grade.
"Grade level" hopefully means "8th grade math is THIS," and algebra is 9th grade math and some kids will take 9th grade math in 8th grade. If my interpretation is correct, it's probably a good thing.
