Independent Educational Evaluations
If you, as a parent of a child with a disability, do not agree with the results of the individualized evaluation of your child, as conducted by the school system, you have the right to obtain an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE). This means that you may ask that a professional, qualified evaluator who is not employed by the school system complete another evaluation of your child.
Summit psychologists are uniquely qualified to provide Independent Educational Evaluations for families and school districts. They have extensive experience with special education processes, knowledge of educational law, academic challenges, social and emotional needs, and numerous other areas that impact a student at school. When completing an IEE, Summit psychologists prioritize identifying a student’s needs with the goal of helping schools and families continue to work together for the success of the student.
If you request an IEE of your child, the school must provide you with information about where you can obtain such an evaluation.
IDEA definition: Independent Educational Evaluation
Under 20 U.S.C. §1415(b)(1) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a parent of a child with a disability has the right to an IEE at public expense if the parent disagrees with an evaluation obtained by the public agency, subject to certain conditions. 34 CFR §300.502(b)(1).
A parent is entitled to only one IEE at public expense each time the public agency conducts an evaluation with which the parent disagrees.
An IEE through Summit PAC
- Summit providers are all trained and experienced in special education and hold up-to-date Colorado Department of Education licenses.
- An IEE from Summit is comprehensive and prioritizes accessing data from multiple settings including the school environment.
- An IEE through Summit focuses on addressing the referral question and identifying educationally related needs of the student using a variety of assessment tools that are valid, reliable, and meaningful.
- The emphasis is on the student and the student’s needs in their educational setting and offers an unbiased assessment of the student’s current functioning.
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- A school district may not impose conditions or timelines related to obtaining an independent educational evaluation at public expense, including specifying the components of an IEE (e.g., which assessments to use, specific areas to be evaluated).
- OSEP has provided guidance that when a parent disagrees with a school-based evaluation because the student was not assessed in a particular area. A school district may not conduct its own evaluation in the given area prior to granting the parent’s request for an IEE (Letter to Carroll 68 IDELR 279 (OSEP 2016)).
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- To ensure a valid evaluation, an IEE from Summit will not be completed concurrently with a school-based evaluation, or other private evaluation.
- An IEE with Summit can include a variety of professionals when necessary to complete a comprehensive evaluation (e.g., school psychologist, SLP, OT, etc.). This decision is based on the referral question.
- There are no guarantees about the outcome of the IEE.
- Once the IEE is completed, both the family and the administrative unit will receive a copy of the report.
Please contact our office with any questions you may have regarding an IEE for your child.
summitpac@summitpac.net 719.235.7104