How about, "good job paying attention to the teacher and writing the words correctly". For my dd, sure she knows the words already, but paying attention to getting them right and being patient while the teacher gives the test is a good skill for her to learn that I praise.
Since spelling was a non-issue, we shifted the emphasis on hand-writing. If his spelling was correct, but we needed a PhD in Hieroglyphics to decipher, then no dice. Of course, he rose to the occasion, which for him required considerable effort.
(I'm really feeling far too cynical to be discussing this, I can tell.)
Yes, I'm sure that there is always some aspect of what he's doing that is praiseworthy (and eking out legible words definitely qualifies), but when we're essentially creating alternative "goals & challenges" out of thin air for wont of a genuine
academic challenge, we're short-changing the whole process.
