I realize this post is over a year old….but I am in a district working with the same issue/concern originally posted.
I am definitely curious as to how her district resolved this issue.
In my area there is a trend to have students take Algebra I as early in their educational experience as possible. My district typically offers it to “high achieving” students in Grade 8. (Many districts even offer it in 7th.)
Thanks for the links to some other sources, I plan to check them out next.
THEN… I may be back with some additional questions!