Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities
Dr. Oakley School is a unique setting for students in Grades 3-9 with an identified Learning Disability in reading. Dr. Oakley provides short-term intensive and explicit specialized reading and literacy instruction in a structured learning environment. There is a focus on evidence-informed literacy practices, inclusive technology, developing self-advocacy skills and explicitly teaching strategies to support task initiation and completion.
Our Goals
- Students will strengthen their literacy skills while developing the learning strategies and self-advocacy skills that support success across all areas of learning.
- To provide focused support for students’ learning needs in partnership with other CBE professionals.
- Students will learn transition tools and strategies that prepare them for next educational steps.
Our Learners
- Have identified complex learning disabilities that impacts literacy learning.
- Benefit from targeted, short-term literacy intervention paired with learning strategies, inclusive technology supports, and self-advocacy skill development.
Our Program
- A maximum of 200 students organized into six multi-aged elementary classes and five multi-aged junior high classes.
- Science and Social Studies are taught through a literacy lens. As such, our approach concentrates on key concepts and not all curriculum outcomes are addressed.
- Low student : teacher ratio for small group and personalized instruction.
- A designated laptop provides students consistent access to the assistive technology tools they need to support decoding, comprehension, written expression, and overall independence.
Who Was Dr. Oakley?
The school was named after Dr. Geraldine Oakley who was appointed medical health officer for the Calgary School Board in 1917 and held that position until 1935. Under her supervision, regular health clinics were held in Calgary schools. She was a pioneer in the area of health and education in this city. Dr. Oakley was personally very interested in school children, and the supervision of their health was a worthy objective to which she dedicated her life. Her motto was "Do it well." At the time of her death in 1948, Dr. Oakley was the assistant medical health officer for the City of Calgary. Dr. Oakley School was named in her honour on Oct. 6, 1960.
Our School's Commitment to Truth and Reconciliation
We are committed to acknowledging and supporting the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 94 Calls to Action specific to education. Our school, along with all CBE schools, made a Truth and Reconciliation Commitment to Action, on June 21, we renewed our commitment.
View Our Truth and Reconciliation Commitment | 2025-2026
School Development Plan
Each year, our school prepares a development plan with input from teachers, school staff, students and parents. We review many sources of data, including report cards, provincial achievement test results and school surveys. Based on this information, we create our plan identifying targeted areas for growth. Our school development plan is not meant to represent all of the work that takes place in our school, but rather it focuses on specific areas for improvement.
View Our School Development Plan | 2025- 2026
School Improvement Results Report
Our school also prepares a results plan, which looks at our previous school year. It shows our students’ achievement and progress in meeting the goals and outcomes as set out by the CBE and Alberta Education, outlines some of the highlights of our school development plan and gives an overview of our school. You can look on the CBE website for system-wide results.