also, Kaibab, curious why you say most 5th graders can do algebra if exposed...I sort of feel the same way, but have no real points of reference from which I get this...? maybe because my 5th grader is doing it, lol..
I'm no expert on curricula, but there are math options that include very early introduction of algebraic concepts. My kids had "early algebra" beginning in 1st grade with basic concepts of x standing in for something, with more algebra units each year slowly covering more material, all of it basic but covering algebraic type equations. There's really nothing especially difficult about basic algebra. Most US curricula choose to introduce it after arithmetic, but that's not a requirement.
There is a great deal of difference between being able to learn some new concepts if taught, which most bright kids ought to do fairly easily, and being ready for a different level of instruction. To argue that a child needs to be placed in algebra in a school, my experience tells me that it's not nearly enough to show that the child can learn algebra. I suspect that's not that unusual among bright kids. I think you'd need to show that your child has mastered the grades between his current grade and when algebra starts. That may be true, but it's a very different thing than just showing he can do some algebra. From my experience, even showing mastery of all math until algebra may not get you very far with a school!
