How do you determine whether you should request an additional evaluation or Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) for your child? The answer is layered.
The IEE is a type of second opinion conducted by a professional evaluator that is not on the school system’s payroll educating your child. You may hire this person on your own, or you may request that the IEE be conducted at public expense. An IEE is a valuable tool to provide you with additional information that supports your concerns.
You know your child better than anyone, and if you are noticing things in your child that are different than those described in the IEP or are hearing different things from your child’s physician or therapist, then requesting an IEE may be a logical next step.
Here are three specific reasons why you might feel that your child should have an IEE
The Evaluation didn’t find evidence of a disability, but you think your child has one.
Perhaps your school district refused to do any evaluation, or perhaps your school district doesn’t employ any qualified evaluators for the specific type of evaluation that your child needs. If this is the case, you may have the right to request a private one so that a formal diagnosis can be given.
You don’t think that the disability classification is the correct one, or the findings just don’t sound like your child.
If the district evaluation done for your child was incomplete or used outdated methods or protocols, you may be dealing with an inaccurate finding or conclusion. You may have the right to challenge what was reported and request an IEE.
The school’s evaluation didn’t examine all the areas you think it should have.
Your child is entitled to be tested in all areas of suspected disability. If you feel like your school’s evaluation only assessed some, but not all, of your areas of concern, you may have the right to obtain an independent evaluation at district expense.
Remember: By law, you don’t have to explain your request, although the school may request one. You have the right to one IEE request per Evaluation. Also, the results of the IEE do have to be considered by the school system to make sure the education they’re providing your child is appropriate.
Check out All Children Learn to find important resources and referrals to professionals who can help you obtain IEEs for your child.