(1) The benchmark for mathematics content standard 4 for a student at the end of grade 8 is the ability to:

(a) create and use tables, graphs or diagrams, symbolic expressions, and verbal descriptions to represent, analyze, and generalize a variety of patterns involving numbers and operations;

(b) identify linear and non-linear functional relationships and contract their properties using tables, graphs, or equations with appropriate technology;

(c) use number properties and inverse operations to solve multi-step equations and inequalities involving a single variable;

(d) recognize, simplify, and generate equivalent forms of algebraic expressions, justifying each step with properties of operations; and

(e) identify and compute rate of change/slope and intercepts from equations, graphs, and tables; model and solve contextual problems involving linear proportions or direct variation using cultural contexts, including those of Montana American Indians.