Your kid’s school did an evaluation and said everything’s fine, but your gut’s telling you something’s off. Maybe they’re still struggling in class, maybe the recommendations don’t seem right, maybe you just feel like the school missed something important. This is exactly when parents start looking into getting an independent educational evaluation, also called an IEE.
An IEE is basically a second opinion on your child’s educational needs, but done by someone who doesn’t work for the school district. It’s a private evaluation conducted by a qualified professional who has no connection to your school system. The huge deal here is that under federal law, parents have the right to request this and sometimes the school district has to pay for it.
Breaking Down What an IEE Actually Is
An independent educational evaluation is a comprehensive assessment of your child done by an outside expert. Could be a psychologist, neuropsychologist, speech pathologist, educational specialist, whoever’s qualified to evaluate the specific concerns you have about your kid.
The “independent” part matters because this evaluator doesn’t get a paycheck from your school district. They don’t have any skin in the game regarding what services cost or what the district wants to provide. Their job is just evaluating your child objectively and saying what they find, period.
These evaluations can cover pretty much any area of concern. Academic testing to see where your kid really is in reading or math. Behavioral assessments if there are conduct or emotional issues. Speech and language evaluations. Occupational therapy assessments. Autism evaluations. Neuropsychological testing. Whatever area you’re concerned about, there’s probably an evaluator who specializes in it.
The evaluation itself looks similar to what the school would do but often goes deeper. Expect interviews with you and possibly your child’s teachers, standardized testing, observations, review of school records and previous evaluations, written reports with findings and recommendations. Good IEEs are thorough and take time.
Most IEEs result in a detailed written report explaining what was tested, what the results show, diagnoses if applicable, and specific recommendations for educational interventions or accommodations. This report becomes part of your child’s educational records and the school has to consider it.
Your Legal Right to Request an IEE
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which everyone calls IDEA, parents have specific rights regarding evaluations. One of those rights is requesting an IEE at public expense if you disagree with an evaluation the school district conducted.
Public expense means the school district pays for it, not you. This is huge because private evaluations easily cost $2,000 to $5,000 or more depending on what’s being evaluated. Most families can’t afford that out of pocket.
You can request an IEE whenever you disagree with an evaluation the school did. Doesn’t matter if it’s the initial evaluation to determine special education eligibility, a reevaluation that happens every three years, or an evaluation in a specific area like speech or behavior. If the school evaluated your child and you disagree with their findings, you can request an IEE.
The request should be in writing. Email works fine, doesn’t need to be a formal letter necessarily. Just clearly state that you disagree with the school’s evaluation and you’re requesting an independent educational evaluation at public expense. You don’t have to explain why you disagree or justify your request, though providing some reasoning can help.
Once you request an IEE, the school district has two choices. They can agree to provide it at their expense without unnecessary delay. Or they can file for a due process hearing to prove their evaluation was appropriate. They can’t just say no and ignore your request.
If the district thinks their evaluation was done correctly and stands by their findings, they might request a hearing. Then a hearing officer decides whether the district’s evaluation was appropriate. If the hearing officer sides with you, the district pays for the IEE. If the hearing officer sides with the district, you can still get an IEE but you’d have to pay for it yourself.
Who Pays and How That Works
If the school district agrees to provide an IEE at public expense, they have to follow their own criteria for evaluations. Meaning the independent evaluator has to meet the same qualifications the district requires for their own evaluators. The evaluation has to be in the same geographic area as the district unless there’s good reason otherwise.
The district can give you a list of approved evaluators who meet their criteria, but you’re not required to pick from their list. You can choose any qualified evaluator as long as they meet the district’s criteria for qualifications and location. If the district thinks your chosen evaluator doesn’t meet criteria, they can object and you might end up in a hearing about it.
Some districts have maximum fee schedules for IEEs, like they’ll pay up to $3,000 for a psychoeducational evaluation or whatever their rate is. If your chosen evaluator charges more than that, the district might object or you might have to pay the difference. This gets negotiated case by case.
Payment arrangements vary by district. Some pay the evaluator directly, some reimburse you after you pay, some require pre-approval before the evaluation starts. Make sure you understand the payment process before scheduling the evaluation so there’s no confusion about who owes what.
You can only get one IEE at public expense per school evaluation you disagree with. So if the school did a comprehensive evaluation and you disagree, you get one IEE covering those areas. If they later do a separate speech evaluation and you disagree with that too, you could request another IEE for speech specifically.
You can always get private evaluations at your own expense anytime you want, as many as you want. The public expense thing only applies when you’re exercising your right to an IEE because you disagree with a school evaluation.
What the School Has to Do With IEE Results
Here’s something that confuses parents. The school district must consider the IEE results, but they don’t have to agree with everything in it or implement all the recommendations. “Consider” means they have to look at it, discuss it at IEP meetings, take it into account when making decisions. Doesn’t mean they automatically do whatever the IEE recommends.
If the IEE finds your child has a learning disability and recommends specific interventions, the school team has to consider that information. They might agree and add those services to the IEP. They might partially agree and add some services but not others. They might disagree and explain why they think different services are more appropriate.
The IEE report becomes part of your child’s educational record. It can be used in IEP meetings, reevaluations, eligibility determinations, all future educational planning. It doesn’t expire or become irrelevant, it’s permanent documentation of your child’s needs at that point in time.
If there’s significant disagreement between the school’s evaluation and the IEE, the IEP team has to reconcile those differences somehow. Maybe they give more weight to certain findings, maybe they decide additional evaluation is needed in specific areas, maybe they request clarification from one or both evaluators.
Having an IEE that supports your concerns gives you leverage in IEP meetings. It’s a professional opinion backing up what you’ve been saying. Schools can’t just dismiss it, they have to address it. That doesn’t guarantee you’ll get everything you want but it strengthens your position significantly.
Common Reasons Parents Request IEEs
One of the biggest reasons is when the school evaluation finds a child doesn’t qualify for special education services but the parents are convinced something’s wrong. Kid’s struggling academically, falling further behind, but the school says they don’t meet eligibility criteria. An IEE might find what the school missed.
Sometimes the school acknowledges a disability but disagrees about severity or needed services. School says your kid needs 30 minutes of speech therapy weekly, but you think they need way more intensive services. An IEE can provide evidence supporting more services.
Parents request IEEs when they think the school’s testing was inadequate or inappropriate. Maybe they only did minimal testing when comprehensive evaluation was needed. Maybe they used outdated assessment tools. Maybe the evaluator didn’t have appropriate qualifications. An IEE addresses those concerns.
Disagreement about diagnoses is common. School says ADHD, parents think it’s autism. School says learning disability, parents think it’s processing disorder. IEE can clarify diagnoses with more thorough testing.
Sometimes parents want more recent evaluation data. If the school’s evaluation is two years old and you’re seeing significant changes in your child, an IEE provides current information even if you didn’t necessarily disagree with the original evaluation.
Parents whose kids have complex needs often request IEEs because school evaluations might not capture the full picture. A child with multiple disabilities or unusual presentations might need more specialized evaluation than the school typically provides.
Choosing the Right Evaluator
Finding a qualified independent evaluator takes research. You want someone with appropriate credentials, experience with your child’s specific issues, and ideally familiarity with educational evaluations for IEP purposes.
For psychoeducational evaluations, look for licensed psychologists or neuropsychologists with experience in learning disabilities, ADHD, autism, whatever’s relevant to your child. For speech and language, certified speech-language pathologists. For occupational therapy concerns, licensed occupational therapists with pediatric experience.
Ask potential evaluators about their qualifications, what assessments they use, how long the evaluation takes, what the report includes, their experience with IEEs specifically, whether they’ve testified at due process hearings if needed. Good evaluators are happy to answer these questions.
Check if they’re on your district’s approved list if one exists. Being pre-approved makes the process smoother, though you can go off-list if you have good reason. Make sure they meet your district’s criteria for evaluator qualifications.
Get recommendations from other parents, disability advocacy organizations, support groups, your child’s doctors. Parents who’ve been through IEE process can tell you which evaluators produce thorough reports and stand behind their findings.
Consider whether you need someone local or if remote evaluation works for your situation. Some evaluations must be done in person, others can be done via telehealth. Location matters for public expense IEEs because districts usually require evaluators in the same geographic area.
Ask about cost upfront and how payment works with the district. You don’t want surprises about fees or payment arrangements after the evaluation is done.
The IEE Process Step by Step
First you request the IEE in writing to the school district, specifically to the special education director or whoever handles IEP stuff. State that you disagree with the district’s evaluation and request an IEE at public expense. Mention what areas you want evaluated.
The district responds within a reasonable time, usually couple weeks. They either agree to provide the IEE or they file for due process hearing to defend their evaluation. If they agree, they might send you their criteria for evaluators and maybe a list of approved providers.
You research and choose an evaluator meeting the district’s criteria. Contact them to schedule, providing background about your child and what needs to be evaluated. Share the school’s evaluation and any other relevant records.
The evaluation happens over multiple sessions usually. Testing, interviews, observations, whatever the evaluator needs to do. This might take several weeks to schedule and complete depending on the evaluator’s availability and complexity of your child’s needs.
The evaluator writes a comprehensive report with findings and recommendations. This usually takes a few weeks after completing all testing. Good reports are detailed and clearly explain results and their educational implications.
You receive the report and share it with the school district. Request an IEP meeting to discuss the IEE results and consider changes to your child’s program based on the findings.
At the IEP meeting, the team discusses the IEE report along with other relevant information and decides what changes if any to make to your child’s IEP. This is where the “consideration” of IEE results happens.
What Makes an IEE Report Actually Useful
A good IEE report does more than just present test scores. It explains what those scores mean for your child’s learning, connects findings to classroom performance, and makes specific actionable recommendations.
The best reports directly address the concerns that led to requesting the IEE. If you were worried about reading comprehension, the report should thoroughly evaluate that and explain findings. If behavior was the concern, detailed behavioral assessment and analysis should be included.
Recommendations should be specific enough to implement, not vague suggestions. “Student needs reading intervention” isn’t helpful. “Student would benefit from daily 45-minute small group instruction using Orton-Gillingham methodology focusing on phonemic awareness and decoding skills” is useful.
Good reports explain test results in parent-friendly language while also including technical information the school team needs. You should be able to understand what the report says about your child even without a psychology degree.
The report should reconcile any differences with the school’s evaluation, explaining why findings differ if they do. If the school found average reading skills but the IEE finds significant reading disability, the report should explain what accounts for that discrepancy.
Strong IEE reports anticipate questions the school team will have and address them preemptively. They provide enough detail that the school can’t easily dismiss findings but not so much technical jargon that the report is incomprehensible.
When IEEs Get Complicated
Sometimes districts push back on IEE requests, claiming their evaluation was appropriate or arguing about evaluator qualifications or costs. This is where things get frustrating for parents.
If the district files for a hearing to defend their evaluation, you need to decide whether to proceed or back down. Going to hearing requires evidence, possibly legal representation, and significant time. Some parents find advocacy organizations or special education attorneys to help with this.
Disagreements about evaluator qualifications or fees sometimes derail IEE requests. District says your chosen evaluator doesn’t meet criteria or costs too much, you think they’re being unreasonable. These disputes might require mediation or hearings to resolve.
Sometimes IEE results conflict with school evaluations in major ways and the school team refuses to accept the IEE findings. They might say the IEE evaluator didn’t have enough information or used inappropriate tests or misinterpreted results. Creating consensus becomes really challenging.
Timing can be an issue too. IEEs take months sometimes between requesting, scheduling, completing evaluation, and getting the report. Meanwhile your child continues struggling without appropriate services. The process isn’t fast unfortunately.
Cost disputes happen when evaluators charge more than district fee schedules or when comprehensive evaluations require more extensive testing than district anticipated. These get negotiated but can delay the process.
Alternatives and Related Options
You can always get private evaluations at your own expense without going through the IEE process. This gives you complete control over evaluator choice and timing but obviously you’re paying out of pocket.
Some parents use private evaluations strategically even before requesting IEEs. Get a private evaluation done, bring results to the school, and if the school disagrees and does their own evaluation that contradicts your private evaluation, then request an IEE.
Mediation is available for resolving disputes about evaluations without going to full due process hearing. A neutral mediator helps you and the district find agreement. Less formal and adversarial than hearings.
Response to Intervention data from the school can supplement evaluation data. If your child’s been receiving interventions and progress monitoring shows lack of progress despite good instruction, that supports the need for special education evaluation or reevaluation.
Sometimes getting a medical diagnosis from outside providers helps support your case. If a pediatrician or psychiatrist diagnoses ADHD or autism, that’s independent information the school has to consider even though it’s not an educational evaluation per se.
Educational advocates or attorneys can help navigate the process if things get contentious. They know the law, understand district tactics, and can push back on unreasonable positions. Some parents need this level of support to successfully get an IEE.
After You Have the IEE, Then What
Having an IEE report is just the beginning. Now you need to get the school to actually implement appropriate services based on the findings. This happens through the IEP process.
Request an IEP meeting specifically to discuss the IEE results. Send the report to all IEP team members ahead of time so they can review it before the meeting. Consider inviting the IEE evaluator to attend the meeting if possible, though they might charge for their time.
At the meeting, go through the IEE findings and recommendations systematically. For each recommendation, discuss whether and how to implement it in your child’s IEP. Be prepared for the school to suggest alternative approaches to address the same needs.
Document everything. If the school refuses to implement IEE recommendations, get their reasons in writing. If they promise to do things, make sure it’s written into the IEP. Verbal agreements mean nothing, everything needs to be documented.
Follow up after the IEP meeting to ensure services actually start. Sometimes things get written into the IEP but don’t actually happen in the classroom. Stay on top of implementation.
If you can’t reach agreement with the school about implementing IEE recommendations, you have options. Formal complaint to state department of education, mediation, due process hearing. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that but those options exist.
Use the IEE results in future IEP meetings and reevaluations. The information doesn’t expire. If your child’s needs change or new issues emerge, reference back to the IEE findings as baseline information about your child’s profile.
Similar to how understanding AP English Literature syllabuses requires knowing what’s covered and how to prepare, navigating IEEs successfully means understanding the process and your rights. Just like building an effective teacher toolbox involves knowing what you actually need versus what just sounds good, requesting an IEE should be based on genuine concerns about your child’s evaluation and needs.
Final Thoughts
An independent educational evaluation is your right as a parent when you disagree with the school’s evaluation of your child. It provides objective, professional assessment from someone outside the school system who can offer a fresh perspective on your child’s needs.
The process can be complicated, especially if the district pushes back, but it’s worth pursuing when you genuinely believe the school missed something important about your child’s educational needs. Having that independent information often makes the difference in getting appropriate services.
Not every situation requires an IEE. If the school’s evaluation seems thorough and appropriate and you generally agree with findings, an IEE probably isn’t necessary. But if something feels off, if your child’s still struggling despite school services, if evaluation results don’t match what you observe, requesting an IEE makes sense.
Understanding your rights, the process, and what makes a good IEE helps you advocate effectively for your child. The school might have more experience with special education, but you know your child best. An IEE can validate your concerns and provide the evidence needed to get your child proper support.
Don’t be intimidated by the process or worry about antagonizing the school by requesting an IEE. It’s your legal right, it’s meant to protect students, and good school districts understand that independent evaluations sometimes provide valuable information they missed. Your child’s education and wellbeing matter more than maintaining comfortable relationships with school staff.
