Special Education
Learning and Life Skills (LLS)
At CCI we currently have 3 sections of Learning and Life Skills in our school. This class supports students with Developmental Disabilities and is staffed by teachers and support staff.
Vision
Our vision for the Learning and Life Skills program is to provide high-quality programming to
help students gain the skills needed to participate meaningfully and engage socially in school
and in the community. Focusing on individual strengths and needs, we aim to provide an
engaging, enriching and stimulating learning environment in which students develop the skills
they need to reach their potential and participate fully in school, the community and in life.
Guiding Principles
Before students are enrolled in the Learning and Life Skills program they must first be
presented at a Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board System Level Identification
Placement Review Committee (IPRC) for identification and placement. The placement will be in
the special education classroom with partial integration. Students in the Learning and Life Skills
Program can attend school until the end of June of the calendar year when they turn 21 years
old. Students receive individualized, alternative programming, outlined on the IEP and are not
eligible for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or Ontario Secondary School Certificate. They
are eligible for a Certificate of Accomplishment.
The education programs for these students must be sensitive to the individual’s strengths and
learning needs as guided by the following principles:
• to provide individualized educational programs differentiated to meet the assessed
needs of the student focussing on life skills, social skills, functional mathematics,
communication and basic literacy
• to value uniqueness, personal growth and independence
• to identify and build upon the strengths of the individual student - physical, social,
behavioural, emotional and intellectual abilities
• to work collaboratively with parents/guardians and community agencies to enable to
student to meet their full potential while in school and beyond
• to promote increased independence, social relationships, meaningful education, work
and leisure skills
What is the Learning and Life Skills Program?
The Learning and Life Skills Program is an intensive, specialized program provided by Special
Education Teachers in select elementary and secondary schools with a focus on four major
content areas:
• Life Skills
• Social Skills
• Functional Mathematics
• Communication and Basic Literacy
These four content areas, as well as other identified areas of need, are alternative skills and are
outlined on the students IEP. Learning and Life Skills classes are small class placements with a
maximum of 10 students, with a classroom teacher and support staff allocated based on the
individual needs of students in each class.