I have to say that I have never understood what 7th and 8th grade math mean although I see references to it on this board and other places. Six years of elementary math is already stretching it, iykwim. The best that I can figure out is that 7th and 8th grade math is a construct created to serve as a holding pattern for kids who are not ready for algebra. What my district and many others have done is to simply allow kids who are not ready for algebra to repeat Pre-algebra with some extras in 8th. I have seen other districts have kids repeat elementary math in 7th to delay Pre-algebra to 8th grade. I would also say that Pre-algebra is now a misnomer in many districts and a substantial portion (1/3 to 1/2) of the coverage is more properly Pre-Geometry. Transition math is probably a more fitting term.
So GT kids would take GT Pre-Algebra in 6th, GT Algebra I in 7th, and GT Geometry in 8th. Regular high-ish kids (becoming honors in high school) would take Pre-Algebra in 7th and Algebra I in 8th. Regular low-ish kids would take Pre-Algebra in 7th and Math 8 in 8th grade, thereby delaying Algebra I until 9th. There is also a little known (barely documented) program that allows 5th graders to take Pre-Algebra so that they can take GT Algebra I in 6th, GT Geometry in 7th, and GT Algebra II in 8th. The numbers vary from year to year but only a fraction of 1% of the kids are in this program. Of course, further acceleration is possible as my DS entered the program to take Pre-Algebra in 4th grade. He is the only kid his year but I believe there have been isolated instances of other kids in the past who have accelerated the same number of years but generally their last acceleration took place later in the educational process - middle or high school instead of 4th grade. Interestingly, once you hit high school, three tracks become four as more remedial math becomes available, perhaps in recognition that it doesn't take much to master elementary math, making it more difficult to separate until you get to Algebra and Geometry.
