Thanks for the replies. They're all helpful.
Yes, they're going to test her. I've been looking at algebra readiness tests and will have my DD try one later. I suspect that this school is the kind of place that will let her move ahead if she does well on the test. The problem will be to try to anticipate what they're going to ask. I can't really do that, so I suspect we'll just spend a hour-ish a day practicing this stuff next week. I don't want to see her placed in a class that's too easy for her (which will, in turn, make algebra mostly too easy) because she misses ten questions on material she forgot over the summer and could re-learn in 20 minutes.
I think that a lot of schools have come to see pre-algebra as a prerequisite to algebra 1. There also seems to be a significant fear of "learning gaps." I find all this to be unfortunate for the giftie crowd. I suspect that moving slowly and filling gaps is important for many kids. However, IMO, gifted kids can thrive when they have gaps that they have to fill (because they finally encounter something requiring that they learn new things and then assemble ideas).
