No, the issue is if you don't take algebra I by 8th grade then you won't take advanced math. Nobody is considering algebra I tk be advanced, the key is when you take algebra I in order to move on. Turns out, whether you take algebra I before high school has less to do with how good you are at math and more to do with (frankly) segregation. This is an article revealing in data how modern day segregation works.
I'm a product of NC schools. When going to grade school in the 90s I did not realize that those schools desegregated less than 10 years prior. The advanced classes were essentially all white. Those advanced classes in early grade school position you for the slow track, or the fast track.
> Those advanced classes in early grade school position you for the slow track, or the fast track.
So you're agreeing that Algebra I is viewed as an "advanced" class in the context of Junior High math. (Obviously this is not the same sense of "advanced" as pre-calc or calculus. That should go without saying.)
So you're agreeing that Algebra I is viewed as an "advanced" class
No, I'd say Algebra I isn't an advanced class, but rather the "gatekeeper" class you have to pass to get into the actual "advanced" classes.