I also have to wonder if it is Everyday Math curriculum or something like that. There are questions that specifically ask you to solve a problem using a certain methods. Most of these methods seem very odd to me, but if you treat it as a "game," it might be more bearable.
Would your son be wiling to first solve it his way, and then solve it the way his teacher asks to prove he can?
At this point, given the school's attitude on acceleration, might it make sense to ask for pre-testing and curriculum compacting (only teaching the concept he needs to know and doing some challenge math or something else in the other time)?
