The "highly qualified" teaching credential required by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is forcing new models of secondary special education service delivery. One effect has been a reduction in special education content classes and a concomitant increase in co-teaching. In one teaching arrangement, "instructional conferencing," teachers work individually with students in the general education classroom to assist students with assignments and personal development. This model incorporates four general teaching practices which recursively and flexibly address differences among learners, tasks, and contexts. "Instructional conferencing" affords repeated opportunities to build motivation, transform negative attitudes, and reframe students' perceptions of themselves as learners. This transformation occurs gradually as learners succeed on larger and more difficult tasks, develop an academic identity, understand their learning needs, and gain self-advocacy skills. (Contains 1 figure.)