Independent Educational Evaluation
Parents/Guardians have the right to request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) from their public school. An IEE comes into play when the school is evaluating your child for services and for some reason an outside evaluation is needed.
What is the IEE? (Independent Educational Evaluation)
An IEE is an evaluation of a child for the purposes of determining a special education program that is performed by personnel outside of the school system. That’s why simply put an IEE is called an “outside evaluation.”
Paying for an IEE
The school will usually agree to pay in cases where an outside evaluation is clearly needed, including:
- When the school doesn’t have the staff needed to do the testing that your child needs
- When the school’s evaluation team thinks outside testing is needed
A school may also be forced to pay for an IEE. If you don’t agree with the results of a school’s evaluation, you have the right ask for what’s called an IEE at public expense. After you ask, the school must pay for an IEE unless it starts a due process hearing. During the hearing, the school must show that the evaluation it conducted was right for your child. If it can’t do that, it will have to pay for the requested IEE.
Professionals Who Administer Testing
There are different types of professionals who are qualified to do a private evaluation. Some are able to do all of the necessary tests. Others specialize and are certified only in certain areas. Here are some things to consider before hiring a private evaluator.
Professionals who can help include:
- Clinical psychologists (for social emotional and educational testing)
- Educational psychologists (for educational testing)
- Neuropsychologists (for comprehensive cognitive, attentional, learning and memory, psychological/social emotional, academic, overall brain processing and functioning testing)
Types of Testing
A private evaluation for learning and attention issues involves various types of tests. It also includes a review of your child’s history and a conversation with and observation of your child. It usually involves two main things:
- Intelligence and achievement testing, including information processing, memory and reasoning
- Testing in other areas of concern, such as speech and physical skills
What to Expect After Testing
After your child has been tested, the professional will gather and analyze all the information. You’ll sit down together to talk about the results and get your questions answered. You’ll receive a written report. This will summarize all the information gathered and reviewed. It will also list the tests used, show your child’s results and provide more information about your child’s specific issues. A report should include a statement about how those issues affect your child, include a list of strengths and limiting factors and recommendations in order to comprehensively address these limiting factors.
The report can provide information to help you and the school find ways to support your child’s learning. Learn more about your legal rights in the evaluation process by giving us a call today.
