This paper discusses the instruction of adult performance outcomes and life skills in classes for students with mental disabilities. Basic considerations in teaching life skills include teaching for lifelong learning, teaching for relevancy, and teaching beyond textbooks and classrooms. Several strategies have contributed to the success of programs utilizing a life skills theme. These include use of a nontraditional curriculum, such as the Adult Performance Level (APL) Curriculum Model. The APL model offers a basic structure by which individual schools can develop life skills programs which are relevant to their communities. The curriculum was developed on the premise that adult competency is a function of both individual capabilities and societal requirements. Functional competence in life skills is described as a set of skills (reading, writing, listening/speaking, computation, problem solving, and interpersonal relations) applied to a set of general knowledge areas (consumer economics, health, occupational knowledge, community resources, and government and law). The implementation of a life skills program involves the cooperation of interested and committed school personnel, students, and community members. Four figures are included. (JDD)