Well, I am very happy to report that I actually got the best possible outcome - something I was not expecting.
She was on the defensive when she first met with me, so I put her at ease by explaining that I wanted to make sure I understood exactly what was happening since sometimes information filtered through a 10-year-old could be less than complete. Once she didn't think I was there to attack her, she opened up and talked freely about what was going on.
She said that she knew my son had recently exited special ed, and that she was concerned that being completely hands-off wasn't working out for him. She said that when an assignment (like writing the movie summary) was a writing assignment, he just packed up his stuff and waited for class to be over. And when she gave them time at the beginning of class to finish it up, he didn't even try to put something quick together. So she made him do a different project over the same material to make sure he'd gotten what he was supposed to from the movies.
When I explained that a kid with dysgraphia has issues with organization and putting words on paper, she got it. She said that she would communicate more with me when he is given writing assignments so that I can make sure he has a block of time at home to complete the project. She also said that she would continue to give him the same classwork but with a shorter leash.
It's funny, but she advised me to keep his IEP in place in midschool, saying that she thought he would need the extra support and accommodations to keep up with the busier schedule. She said she really liked my kid but knew she was hard on him. She said she was trying to toughen him up so that he didn't drown next year with the major transition.
So her misguided approach was actually coming from a good place. I think now we're on the same page, and we actually put some changes in place for the entire class instead of just for my son. From now on, the kids will be required to take their agendas when they change to her class and she will verify that the kids have written the assignments in the agendas.
Yea for small victories!
