Independent Educational Evaluation (IEEs)

As a school psychologist, I am often asked to perform an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) from parents who are concerned about their child’s progress in school and want a “second opinion” from someone not affiliated with the school district. This is an important right that parents have, as it allows them to get additional, unbiased information about their child, without having to pay for a separate evaluation themselves.
 If parents or teachers suspect that a child has a disability, including ADD/ADHD, autism, dyslexia, or other type of learning disability, they can request that the child undergo an evaluation to determine whether the child does, in fact, have a disability. The evaluation is supposed to assess the child in all areas of suspected disability. This evaluation is typically done by the school psychologist employed by the school district.

​Once the evaluation has been completed, parents will be asked to indicate whether they agree with the findings and recommendations of the evaluation. If parents believe that the evaluation was not complete or did not adequately assess the child in all areas of concern, they can request an Independent Educational Evaluation at school district expense. If the school district agrees to an IEE (their only other option is to file for a due process hearing, which is a legal proceeding before a hearing officer), the parents may select an evaluator of their choice to perform an evaluation at no cost to the parent. Although school districts are required to provide a list of outside evaluators to parents, parents are not required to choose an evaluator from the list provided by the school district.
 
IEEs can often be more involved and comprehensive than other types of evaluations. IEEs typically require a review of school records, an in-school observation of the child, cognitive and achievement testing as well as rating scales and other information from the parents and teachers of the child. Once the IEE is completed, the report is provided to both the school and the parents. The school is required to consider the findings of the IEE in its decision-making process regarding the student, including whether the student needs an Individualized Education Program (IEP), as well as what the IEP should provide.