Talking about "testing out" and "gifted" programs is a complete distraction here, since very few students "test out", and taking Algebra in middle school is not

Talking about "testing out" and "gifted" programs is a complete distraction here, since very few students "test out", and taking Algebra in middle school is not considered a "gifted" program. With regards to math in California, gifted programs are largely not a story. A pillar of Equitable Math is that all students should be at the same level up until the last year of high school.¹ The re-arrangement of subjects is not the hotspot of contention, and neither is the disagreement over "deepness". The contention is over whether or not there ought to exist a faster track which, for example, permits students to take Algebra in middle school. This has been specifically derided as a sustainer of white supremacy under the Equitable Math discussion. A return to gifted programs as the way to deal with students with differences in math preparation and ambition would be a return to administrative opacity. A failure to specify tracks which allow students to take Algebra in middle school would be a solid win for private schools and after-school programs like RSM. Under Equitable Math, the last year in high school is the only year of differentiation. [1]: https://equitablemath.org https://equitablemath.org