Methods of identifying effective special education practices are analyzed to help practitioners identify and adopt such practices. The contents of this guide include a flowchart for effective practice identification (EPI), an analysis of decision-making steps in this process, and two examples of identification procedures. The decision-making steps outlined are (1) setting goals, (2) delineating relevant issues, (3) nominating programs to be studied, (4) selecting programs from those nominated, (5) developing criteria for evaluating practices, (6) specifying the information needed, (7) developing procedures to document programs, (8) planning a strategy for disseminating findings, and (9) designing a replication support system to help new sites adopt effective practices and programs. The material outlining each step presents definitions of relevant terms, methods and procedures for executing the step, the step's relationship to other steps, questions to guide decision-making, and normative results. The examples provided describe, first, how the California State Department of Education's Office of Special Education used EPI to obtain information for school districts statewide, and, second, how a school district might use EPI to evaluate a practice for potential adoption. An appendix examines EPI methodologies as practiced. (MCG)