<p>The problem with many of these proposals (as the first draft of a proposal like this in my state) is that if the students aren't prepared well in elementary school, they aren't ready for truly international-standard curriculum expectations by middle school. My wife learned algebra in seventh grade just fine, and began her study of foreign languages (English, in her case) at that age, even though she lived in a third-world country growing up. Most Americans have schools that set much lower standards for preteens, so high school graduation standards are way below worldwide expectations. Setting benchmarks at the top end of the K-12 age range is great, and a start, but even better is to improve instruction at the lower end. </p>
<p>P.S. I should note that ALL students in my wife's native country, including all the below-average students, are expected to begin study of algebra in seventh grade. Foreign language study has now moved down to third grade, and geometry has long started in eighth grade. In my wife's day, the majority of students were going to school itself in a second language--because the standard national language was not the majority language of the country. (That language, the only language she received her schooling in, is not my wife's native language either, but she learned it just fine and was just speaking it today while visiting relatives.) Americans underestimate what is possible unless they have lived elsewhere and seen what poor students in poor countries can do with better instruction.</p>