Overview

LPS offers a language-based curriculum designed to meet the individual academic and pre-vocational needs of students aged 14-22 years for whom language and learning problems present as the primary disability. The High School division is a five-year program intended to meet the individual academic potential as well as the development of an effective work personality in each student. A student's last two years are spent in Work/Study. For every student at LPS, the goal is to develop the behaviors, skills and attitudes which will lead to success after graduation.

All courses are based on the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. MCAS testing is given to the students according to the mandate and requirements of the Department of Education using the standard and non-standard allowable accommodations.

The programming consists of academic classes, workshops that provide a service or produce a product to provide the students with work-readiness skills, courses in Career Education, Health/Student Issues, Social Skills Development and Disability Awareness as well as courses in Computer, Art, Work Center and Family Consumer Science. LPS also provides a unique Work/Study Program that prepares our students for all future endeavors.

Throughout all of our academic programming, students are placed in small, homogeneous, language-based groups. Classes are based on the student's individual abilities and learning style. A student's progress is constantly monitored, and changing to alternative groups is done when a student requires a different academic level. Time is short when helping our students to advance to the next step, be it college, post-high school training, or entrance into the world of work. LPS motivates its students to become active class participants and more independent learners.

LPS has begun implementing a new system of visual tools called "Thinking Maps". These strategies are an exciting way to teach students to think on their own and process information independently. They were developed by Dr. David Hyerle in 1988 and are based on our fundamental thinking processes. Every person analyzes information in eight different ways: define, describe, compare/contrast, classify, break down into parts, sequence, cause/effect, and establish relationships between things. Thinking Maps are visual tools for understanding and mastering these eight thinking processes in a way that is clearly defined and common to teachers and students alike.

As students become fluent in Thinking Maps, they will be able to apply multiple thinking skills to problem-solve and develop higher level, abstract thinking. By implementing this program school-wide across the curricula, students can learn more effectively and efficiently, thus enabling learning objectives to be covered in less time and with greater retention. In addition to promoting integrated thinking and interdisciplinary learning, Thinking Maps can be utilized by teachers to assess student progress, gauge student knowledge, track student performance, and even assess their own lessons as they discover what students have learned from class. Thinking Maps, likewise, have been proven to raise test scores, including IQ and SAT tests.

These amazing tools comprise a visual language that works in every grade, in every subject, and at any level of academic ability. Students are able to organize and see their own thinking; teachers can then use the completed maps to observe the students' thinking processes. Thinking Maps software also has been distributed to students, allowing them to customize the maps to their lesson requirements. LPS is pleased to be on the forefront of this innovative educational trend.