Let's put it this way... the U.S. is way behind in education.
Math, to me, has always been easy, and considering the pace of other countries, this is how fast the U.S. should be going with math:
7th Grade: Algebra I/Geometry
8th Grade: Algebra II/Precalculus
9th Grade: AP* Calculus-BC (my kid was able to self-study this in two weeks)
10th Grade: Multivariable, Linear Algebra, and Differentials
11th Grade: Abstract Algebra, Real and Complex Analysis
My kid actually experienced 1 year of Common Core in Algebra II before we transferred to another district (not because of CC). Common Core introduced topics in Precalculus early, so that was nice. However, our old district had no textbooks for CC since my kid's school year were guinea pigs. Instead, they used workbooks.
I have nothing bad to say about CC, but both traditional and CC math cover topics from past years too much and need to accelerate. At the school my kid currently goes to, nearly every single 9th grader is taking Algebra II, numerous are taking Precalculus, and some are taking Multivariable/Linear Algebra/Differentials!
On the other hand, Integrated Math has some good and bad things. The only good thing is that you aren't going back and forth between algebra and geometry. The bad things have already been mentioned. I have no faith in Integrated Math.
And honestly, no matter how hard that Algebra placement test could have been last year, check out the AMC 8 and it'll make the test look like a piece of cake.