I don't understand why there is so much effort put onto cramming math into high school. I took calculus in high school and then repeated it in college. There is plenty of time in college (especially if some of the less useful elective requirements were taken away) to catch up on your math requirements, so whether you are ready for Algebra in 8th grade or not should have no barring on whether you are able to pursue a STEM major in college, let alone be successful in your career.

I think we lane people out of STEM way too early, which is what I believe some of these curriculum changes are trying to redress.