At a small, northeastern suburban elementary school, the records used to characterize the skills and to anticipate the needs of the diverse students in transition (between grades, school levels, or special to regular education programs) did not provide receiving teachers an effective assessment of current performance levels; nor was there adequate planning to facilitate student transitions. This practicum developed strategies to ensure greater success during periods of transition. One component was training initiatives to enable teachers to better assess student performance levels (especially using portfolios) and to deal effectively with special education needs. A second component expanded collaborative planning opportunities so teachers could work together, sharing ideas and expertise, to facilitate school transitions for students. Positive outcomes of the initiative were demonstrated by inclusion of individual education plan summaries and performance assessment data in student cumulative records. An informal survey of teachers revealed that the initiatives improved staff awareness of student strengths and needs, and increased support for orientation activities and participation in the transition planning process. Includes 16 appendices (survey forms; training and planning materials; evaluation and assessment forms; and survey results) are included. Contains 70 references. (TM)