The Instructional Support System for Occupational Education (ISSOE) project, conducted in New York, focused on (1) review of individualized education systems, (2) selection of appropriate occupational clusters, and (3) development and field testing of a system and materials. A product of the Managing Student Progress series of the ISSOE program, this booklet aims to provide the occupational educator with a background in both theory and practice for individualizing instruction. The booklet broadly surveys five areas related to individualized education. First, current definitions of individualized education are reviewed. Second, some of the advantages of an individualized program are outlined. Then, some of the theoretical approaches to individualized instruction and individualized programs are detailed. This section is followed by a description of five individualized programs which are currently in use (Project PLAN--Program for Learning in Accordance with Needs; PLATO--Programmed Logic IGE--Individually Guided IGE.--Individually Guided Education; IPI--Individually Prescribed Instruction; and LAP--Learning Activity Package). The fifth section examines the adaptation of competency-based occupational education materials to an individualized format. (KC)