What is an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE)?
The parents of a child with a disability have the right under §300.502 to request an Independent Educational Evaluation, or an IEE, at public expense if the parents disagree with an evaluation obtained by the school. This means that parents can ask that their child be evaluated by a qualified assessor who is not employed by the school system. When a parent/guardian requests an IEE at public expense from a school district, the school district has two options:
- Pay for the IEE or
- File for due process to prove that its own assessment was appropriate.
School districts will frequently pay for the IEE because it is more expensive for the district to file for due process against a family to prove that its assessment was appropriate.
When should I request an Independent Educational Evaluation?
Once a child’s parent or guardian consents to an assessment plan, special education assessors from the student’s school district are required to conduct the assessment and hold an IEP meeting within 60 days. Although parents are not required to explain why they are requesting an IEE, here are some reasons you might ask for an IEE for your child:
- The school evaluation didn’t find evidence of a disability, but you think it’s wrong.
- Your child was diagnosed with a disability, but you think the results of the testing aren’t accurate.
- The school’s evaluation didn’t examine all the issues you think it should have.
What are the types of special education assessments?
Some common assessments for special education include: psychoeducational, functional behavior assessment (FBA), speech and language, occupational therapy (OT), augmentative or alternative communication (AAC), and assistive technology (AT). At the Institute and Flourish, we provide psychoeducational special education assessments.
How do I request an IEE?
To learn more, take a look at this publication by Disability Rights California for the steps to request an IEE. To learn more about obtaining an IEE through the Institute and Flourish, please schedule a time to meet virtually with a member of our Assessment team HERE.