In many places it's become a fundamental part of the middle school math curriculum, too. In recent years, more students have begun taking Algebra 1 in eighth or even seventh grade ...

This year, a new curriculum from Illustrative Mathematics was rolled out for kindergarten to fifth-grade students. That matches the curriculum already used in 6th, 7th and 8th grades. But change ...

This change affects 6th and 7th grade only. In 8th grade, students will have the same opportunity as they do now to take Algebra 1—or they can choose a separate 8th grade math class.