• Life Skills

    POPULATION

    The children who receive Life Skills services are those who have moderate to severe developmental disabilities, whose Individual Educational Program (IEP) requires significantly off-level and modified, functional academic instruction, and who need additional instruction in daily livng skills. For some, performance is significantly affected by more than one disability. Students range in age from 5 - 22 years and are served on elementary, middle and high school campuses.

    PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

    Classroom instruction is under the direction of a specially trained classroom teacher with appropriate paraprofessional support. The classes are full-day sessions and are organized around functional academic instruction and classroom routines that facilitate the development of daily living skills. The daily schedules reflect the overall activities of the school as well as the classroom’s unique activities and daily routines.  The teachers significantly modify the general curriculum/ TEKS to offer focused and functional instruction that ensures the students reach their greatest possible level of independence in all aspects of adult life. 

    INSTRUCTIONAL AND RELATED SERVICES

    The IEP includes appropriate functional academic instruction in all areas of the general curriculum. These content areas along with personal health and vocational content support direct instruction in daily living skills related to personal hygiene, managing personal living environments, vocational and independent community functioning, as needed.  GPISD Life Skills classes use the Unique Learning System (ULS) curriculum for instruction within the Life Skills classroom. 

    Off-campus, or community-based instruction (CBI) that is age-appropriate, is utilized as necessary to ensure that skills taught in the classroom are generalized to the campus at large and to the general community setting.

    On a daily basis, students receiving Life Skills services have opportunities to interact with their non-disabled peers in age appropriate settings. These settings may consist of ancillary or elective courses identified by the ARD IEP Committee. Additional opportunities include the breakfast and lunch programs, during non-academic school functions and school-wide events.

    STUDENT EVALUATION

    A variety of performance assessment techniques are used to evaluate and report student progress, including teacher observation, anecdotal records, student verbal and non-verbal interaction with teachers and other students, skills checklists, and student work samples.  Teachers utilize Unique Learning Systems and Review 360 for assessment tools, as well.  STAAR tests are administered as appropriate for students and as mandated by TEA.  Parents receive periodic reports of their child’s progress on the Individual Education Plan (IEP) goals and objectives. 

    For more information about Life Skills, please contact:
    Jennifer Boudreau, Life Skills Specialist
    832-386-1369


    Christy Poe, Life Skills Specialist
    832-386-1399