The Maine Department of Education abandoned their traditional rule-making process when it revised the Maine Special Education Regulations to be consistent with IDEA '97. Rather than developing rules in isolation and subsequently soliciting input through a public process, the Department invited a group of stakeholders including parents, advocates and school personnel to take part in a collaborative rule-making process also known as negotiated rule making or regulatory negotiations. This process encouraged them to find common ground and to jointly develop policy recommendations. The purpose of bringing stakeholders together was to improve understanding of diverse perspectives regarding the issues, to identify significant issues of concern, to generate policy options, and to develop consensus on policy recommendations for the Department to consider.
System Oversight, Infrastructure and Organization: 

Policy/Procedures

The group broke into subgroups with each selecting a recorder, timekeeper and facilitator. Each member shared their ideas about the three issues with the subgroup. Each subgroup discussed concerns, issues and solutions, then reported out to the whole group. The groups used a concensus-building process with "I can live with it - it's acceptable" as the standard. The group addressed easier issues first, more controversial issues later. 

Used in Maine for the following issues: Should attorneys be barred from participating in special education mediations? Should mediation be required prior to requesting a hearing? Should the term "Serious Emotional Disturbance" be changed to "Emotional/Behavior Disorder?"

Personnel

Stakeholders including parents, advocates and school personnel that volunteer to participate through direct, face-to-face interaction.

Practitioner Standards & Professional Development: 

Compensation

Participants volunteered their time.

Evaluation & Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI): 

Additional Information

Collaborative Policy Development acknowledges and values differences, welcomes diverse perspectives, provides a context for decision-making, cooperatively seeks common ground, and develops consensus on difficult issues. The benefits include more focused priorities and policies that are reflective of stakeholder needs. It fosters creativity, facilitates the regulatory process and increases credibility, legitimacy and trust.

Additional Information: 

drsipe

Collaborative Policy Development acknowledges and values differences, welcomes diverse perspectives, provides a context for decision-making, cooperatively seeks common ground, and develops consensus on difficult issues. The benefits include more focused priorities and policies that are reflective of stakeholder needs. It fosters creativity, facilitates the regulatory process and increases credibility, legitimacy and trust.

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