When California adopted its new mathematics standards at the turn of this century, state leaders raised the expectations for its K-12 students, including encouraging them to take Algebra I in 8th grade. This brief looks at how California's high school students are meeting the state's high academic standards in math. It focuses on access to and proficiency in Algebra I as the state's minimum requirement for high school graduates and on Algebra II as the minimum expectation for admission to a four-year public university. (Contains 3 figures.)