What New York 8th graders
learn this year

Eighth grade is algebra in earnest: linear equations and functions, systems of equations, exponents and the Pythagorean theorem. It is also the autumn of the SHSAT and the TACHS, so the weekly work and the entrance exam run side by side.

Fall: September to November

• Math: Rational and irrational decimal expansions; Estimate, order and locate irrational numbers; Apply integer exponent laws; Square and cube roots and equation solutions and 3 more
• Science: Consolidate and evaluate atomic models of molecules and extended structures; Consolidate and evaluate natural resources and synthetic materials; Consolidate and evaluate particle motion, phases and measured density; Consolidate and evaluate mixture separation and reaction evidence and 3 more
• Social studies: Compare Reconstruction approaches and federal-state conflict; Citizenship, Reconstruction amendments and freed communities; Reconstruction resistance, segregation and lost protections; Technology, resources, production and urban growth and 1 more

Winter: December to February

• Math: Use similar slope triangles and derive line equations; Solve rational linear equations and classify solution sets; Interpret and solve linear systems in context; Test whether each input has one output and 2 more
• Science: Consolidate and evaluate electric and magnetic interactions at a distance; Consolidate and evaluate attractive gravity, mass and distance; Consolidate and evaluate kinetic, potential and transferred energy; Consolidate and evaluate thermal transfer, matter and temperature and 3 more
• Social studies: Progressive reform, women's rights and political change; Westward expansion and Native American displacement; Spanish-American War, Pacific trade and Latin American intervention; World War I causes, US entry, technology and civil liberties and 2 more

Early spring: March and April

• Math: Build a linear function from rate and initial value; Interpret qualitative features and piecewise change; Reason about invariants of translations, rotations and reflections; Establish congruence using rigid-motion sequences and 3 more
• Science: Consolidate and evaluate cells and the functions of cell parts; Consolidate and evaluate interacting body systems and sensory information; Consolidate and evaluate matter and energy in photosynthesis and respiration; Consolidate and evaluate resources, interactions, matter flow and biodiversity and 3 more
• Social studies: Debate, programs and constitutional limits of the New Deal; Axis aggression, neutrality, US entry and wartime fronts; Total war, Holocaust, human rights and postwar organizations; Ideological competition, alliances and containment and 1 more

Late spring: May and June

• Math: Explain the Pythagorean Theorem and test its converse; Solve right-triangle problems in two and three dimensions; Use the Pythagorean Theorem for coordinate distance; Use supplied cone, cylinder and sphere volume formulas and 3 more
• Science: Consolidate and evaluate variation and natural selection in populations; Consolidate and evaluate earth-Sun-Moon models, gravity and solar-system scale; Consolidate and evaluate rock strata, geologic time and plate evidence; Consolidate and evaluate rock and water cycles and surface changes and 3 more
• Social studies: Global interdependence, trade and competition; Postwar population movement, immigration and diversity; Industrialization, population and environmental stress; Civil rights strategies, legal victories and economic limits and 2 more

The four subjects in 8th grade

Math. Irrational numbers and exponent rules first, then slope and linear equations and systems, then functions, and geometry with transformations and the Pythagorean theorem last.

English. Paired texts and media versions of a story, with questions about how two sources treat the same idea differently.

Science. Physical and earth science across the middle school standards: particles and density, forces at a distance, energy, waves, and Earth and space.

Social studies. United States and New York history from Reconstruction through industry, reform and two world wars to the Cold War and civil rights.

Where 8th graders slip

Watch linear equations. Slope, functions and systems all build on solving them, and they carry straight into high school algebra.

Common questions

Is this the same as SHSAT or TACHS practice?

No. This follows what eighth graders are taught during the year, one quarter at a time. The SHSAT and TACHS are entrance exams with their own formats, and our practice exams for them are separate.

Does eighth grade practice cover high school algebra?

It covers the eighth grade New York standards, which is the algebra that comes before Algebra I: linear equations, functions and systems.