Is your 8th grader keeping up
with what they are learning now?
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. A short check on this quarter’s topics shows where your child stands, and weekly practice aimed at any gaps fixes them now, so there is no catching up later.
Check 8th grade nowCheck now, practice the gaps, see the progress.
Buy a quarter and your child signs in on their own NY Exam account. Each of the four subjects runs the same way, on its own, for the whole quarter.
1. A quick check, first
Each subject opens with about seven questions on this quarter’s 8th grade topics, before any practice. Your child answers once and sees no scores or answers; you see the results on your side as soon as it is done, so you know where things stand before a single practice session.
2. About ten questions a week
After the check, your child gets a short session roughly once a week for the rest of the quarter — about ten questions, a few minutes. Every answer, right or wrong, comes with a short explanation, not just the correct choice. From the third week on, half of each session is aimed at whichever two topics are weakest so far, instead of spreading evenly across everything.
3. “We haven’t learned this yet”
If a topic has not come up in class yet, your child marks it “not learned yet” instead of guessing. It is never counted wrong, is left out of that topic’s score, and comes back for another try about four weeks later, by which time most classes have reached it.
4. A short check at the end, and a clear report
The quarter closes the same way it opened, with a short check on the same topics, so you can see the change. Your report shows one line per topic — On track (at least 70% right), Needs practice, or Not enough answers yet — and nothing is judged on fewer than four answers, so one bad session cannot brand a topic for the rest of the quarter.
Two real questions from the first quarter.
Not a free trial — just what a session actually looks like, with the answer and the reason shown.
Math
A student proposes that √22 is rational. The positive integer 22 is not a perfect square. Which response correctly evaluates the proposal?
- √22 is neither real nor rational because the square is imperfect.
- √22 is rational because 22 is an integer.
- √22 is rational because its decimal can be rounded.
- Irrational; 22 has no integer square root. — correct
22 lies between consecutive perfect squares. Its square root is real and irrational; a finite calculator display is only an approximation.
English
Which evidence supports testing the posts during a crowded event?
- Their low height leaves turning room.
- They may be overlooked when more walkers use the route. — correct
- The report groups criteria under headings.
- The barrier could make the boundary unmistakable.
The concern about overlooked posts needs observation in the conditions where it may occur.
What most New York 8th graders learn, quarter by quarter.
Irrational numbers and exponent rules first, then slope and linear equations and systems, then functions, and geometry with transformations and the Pythagorean theorem last.
| Quarter | Math | English | Science | Social studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall September to November | 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 | Reading, writing and language skills, on new passages | 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 | 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 | 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 | Reading, writing and language skills, on new passages | 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 | 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 | 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 | Reading, writing and language skills, on new passages | 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 | 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 | 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 | Reading, writing and language skills, on new passages | 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 | 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 order follows a typical New York school year. It is our estimate, not a state or school schedule, so you can buy any quarter at any time, including one your child has not reached yet.
What 8th grade covers in each subject.
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.
Watch linear equations. Slope, functions and systems all build on solving them, and they carry straight into high school algebra.
Read the full guide to what 8th graders learn this year, quarter by quarter.
Before you start.
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.
How much does 8th grade practice cost?
Each quarter is 5 credits ($29.99 with the 5-credit pack) and covers all four subjects. The whole 8th grade year is four quarters, 20 credits ($99.99 with the 20-credit pack). It is a one-time purchase, not a subscription.
Are the questions based on what New York actually teaches?
Yes. Every question is written to New York State's own learning standards for this grade, and is checked against them before it goes on sale.
On sale now.
8th grade practice is on sale, along with every other grade from 3 to 8. Buy a quarter, or the whole year, from the parent portal.