> Those advanced classes in early grade school position you for the slow track, or the fast track.

So you're agreeing that Algebra I is viewed as an "advanced" class in the context of Junior High math. (Obviously this is not the same sense of "advanced" as pre-calc or calculus. That should go without saying.)

So you're agreeing that Algebra I is viewed as an "advanced" class

No, I'd say Algebra I isn't an advanced class, but rather the "gatekeeper" class you have to pass to get into the actual "advanced" classes.