"What grade do you take Algebra 1" is typed by three kinds of parent: one whose 7th grader has been offered a placement test, one who moved from another state or country and cannot tell whether their child is ahead or behind, and one who has just noticed that the neighbor's child is in a different math class. The answer is 9th grade on the standard track and 8th on the accelerated one, and almost everything else about high school math follows from which of those it is. This page lays out the sequence by grade, explains Honors and Integrated Math, covers the state tests attached to the course, and gives the five skills that tell you whether 8th grade is the right year.
The sequence, by grade
| Grade | Standard track | Accelerated (one year ahead) | Double-accelerated (two years ahead) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th | Math 6 | Math 6 or accelerated 6/7 | Accelerated 6/7/8 |
| 7th | Math 7 | Pre-Algebra or accelerated 7/8 | Algebra 1 |
| 8th | Math 8 (Pre-Algebra) | Algebra 1 | Geometry |
| 9th | Algebra 1 | Geometry | Algebra 2 |
| 10th | Geometry | Algebra 2 | Pre-Calculus |
| 11th | Algebra 2 | Pre-Calculus | AP Calculus AB or BC |
| 12th | Pre-Calculus, Statistics or a fourth-year math | AP Calculus AB or BC, or AP Statistics | AP Calculus BC, Multivariable, or AP Statistics |
Every track is a legitimate route to a four-year college. The standard track ends with Pre-Calculus, which is what most colleges list as the expected preparation. The accelerated track ends with calculus, which selective colleges and STEM programs like to see. The double-accelerated track is for the few children for whom 7th grade math is genuinely too slow; it is the one that most often goes wrong, because the mistake shows up two years later in Algebra 2.
Some districts teach Algebra 1, then Algebra 2, then Geometry. The content by the end of 11th grade is identical; only the middle two swap.
What Algebra 1 covers
Linear equations and inequalities in one variable; functions and function notation; linear functions, slope and graphing; systems of two linear equations; exponents and exponential functions; polynomials and factoring; quadratic functions and equations, including the quadratic formula; and an introduction to statistics (scatter plots, lines of fit). It is the first course where the answer is usually an expression or a graph rather than a number, which is why arithmetic strength alone does not predict success in it. The quadratics half of the course is worked through in how to solve quadratic equations step by step.
Honors, and Integrated Math 1
Algebra 1 Honors is the same course in the same grade with more depth and pace. It leads to the same next course. In high school it usually carries extra weight in the GPA; taken in middle school it usually does not.
Integrated Math 1 (also called Math 1 or Mathematics I) is used instead of Algebra 1 in states and districts that follow the integrated pathway: North Carolina, Utah and many California districts among them. Math 1, 2 and 3 cover the same content as Algebra 1, Geometry and Algebra 2 but mix algebra, geometry and statistics in every year. A student who finishes Math 3 is in the same place as one who finishes Algebra 2. The grades are the same: Math 1 in 9th on the standard track, in 8th on the accelerated one.
The state tests attached to the course
Several states test Algebra 1 with an end-of-course exam that counts, wherever the course is taken.
| State | Test | What rides on it |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | Algebra 1 End-of-Course (B.E.S.T.) | 30 percent of the course grade; passing it, or an approved comparative score on another test, is required for a standard diploma |
| Texas | STAAR Algebra I End-of-Course | One of the end-of-course assessments required for graduation |
| New York | Regents Examination in Algebra I | A Regents math exam is required for the Regents diploma |
| Virginia | Algebra I Standards of Learning (SOL) | Verified credit toward the diploma |
| California | No end-of-course test | Algebra 1 or Integrated Math 1 is a graduation requirement; placement is decided by the district |
Two consequences for an 8th grader. The exam is the high school exam, not a middle school version. And in most of these states the course grade and the exam result follow the student to high school, so a C in 8th grade Algebra 1 is a C on the transcript colleges see. Ask the school whether the grade counts in the high school GPA before accepting the placement.
Is 8th grade the right year? Five skills that answer it
Readiness for Algebra 1 is not about being "good at math". It is about five specific things from 6th and 7th grade being automatic.
- Fractions without a calculator. Adding, multiplying and dividing fractions and mixed numbers, quickly. Algebra is fractions with letters in them.
- Negative numbers. −3 − (−5), (−2)(−7), −4², without hesitation.
- Proportional reasoning. Unit rates, percent increase and decrease, "y is proportional to x". This is slope, a year early.
- Solving a two-step equation and explaining each step. 3x − 7 = 11, and why you add 7 before you divide.
- Turning a sentence into an expression. "Five less than twice a number" as 2n − 5, not 5 − 2n.
A child who has all five will find Algebra 1 in 8th grade comfortable. A child missing two will pass the first semester on memory and stall at systems of equations in January. Most districts decide with a placement test in the spring of 6th or 7th grade plus the teacher's recommendation; if your child is close to the line, the summer before is enough time to close two gaps, and it is the cheapest tutoring a family ever buys.
What each track means later
| If Algebra 1 is in | Calculus in high school? | SAT math | For college |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th | Not without doubling up or a summer course | Algebra 2 is finished by the end of 11th, in time for a spring SAT | Meets the requirement everywhere; fine for most majors |
| 8th | Yes, in 12th | Algebra 2 finished in 10th; a full year to prepare | The expected track for engineering, physical sciences and selective admissions |
| 7th | Yes, in 11th, with a further course in 12th | Content finished early | Useful only if the grades stay high; a B in Algebra 2 in 9th helps nobody |
The decision is reversible in one direction only. A student who takes Algebra 1 in 9th and wants calculus can take Geometry over a summer or double up Geometry and Algebra 2 in 10th. A student who was accelerated too early and is struggling can repeat the course in 9th, and should: a secure Algebra 1 is worth more than a year. The whole ladder up to AP Calculus is in what grade do you take calculus, and the junior-year choice is in what math do you take in 11th grade.
For families arriving from another system
| Coming from | Roughly equivalent to Algebra 1 |
|---|---|
| India (CBSE, ICSE) | The algebra of Class 8 and Class 9: linear equations, polynomials, factorisation, the start of quadratics. A child finishing Class 8 is usually ready for Algebra 1 and often for Geometry |
| England | Year 9 and early Year 10 algebra |
| Australia | Year 9 |
| IB MYP | MYP 3 and 4 |
Schools place newcomers by test, not by transcript. Ask to sit the placement test rather than accepting the default placement for the child's age; children from India are routinely placed a course low because the school cannot read the report card.
Where to get help
A 1-on-1 online math class with a tutor who holds a master's in mathematics and teaches the US sequence from Math 6 to AP Calculus, at 7 to 8:30 am before school and after 4 pm US time: the five readiness skills checked in the first class, the course taught a unit ahead of the school, the state end-of-course format practiced from January. About US$10 to $13 an hour, billed monthly. The Algebra 1 page lists the units; the free 30-minute first class is a real lesson on this week's homework.
Questions parents ask
1What grade do you take Algebra 1?
2What grade do you take Geometry, Algebra 2 and Pre-Calculus?
3Is Algebra 1 in 8th grade considered advanced?
4What is the difference between Algebra 1 and Algebra 1 Honors?
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