These are all great thoughts. These have worked for my ds and dd:
I would tell them the highlights of your ds8 and ask what specific classes are available for him to take. Try to judge whether or not they respect parents' opinions by their answer. If not, then they probably won't adjust his program to suit him, if it turns out that the level is too low for him.
When I have talked with teachers who care about parents' educational goals for their child, they adjusted enough to make the classes interesting and challenging. I only saw superficial accommodations from teachers who don't care about parents' opinions.
Another thing I do is stop a few random students as they walk by and ask if school is challenging, or if there are any other students at the school who have the same interests as your ds. They'll tell you the truth according to their point of view.
I also flip through the textbooks that are usually kept on the classroom shelves near the windows to get a sense of the challenge level of the classes.
Finally, I look at the student work that is posted up in the hallways.
I just thought of another question for you all. When viewing the GT classes, what types of student/teacher behavior should I be looking for (other than the complete opposite of what he has now in class)?
Regarding this question, PG students are supposed to be given more autonomy because they are self-driven learners, so I'd look for students working with each other or on their own in different parts of the room while the teacher makes rounds to offer guidance. A teacher lecturing probably is not a good sign.
