What Is an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE)?
If you disagree with the school’s evaluation of your child, federal law gives you the right to request an Independent Educational Evaluation, commonly called an IEE, conducted by a qualified professional outside the school system.
When an IEE makes sense
An IEE is most relevant when you believe the school’s evaluation missed something, was too narrow, or didn’t accurately capture your child’s needs. This might be because you suspect a condition the school’s evaluation didn’t test for, because results seem inconsistent with what you observe at home, or because the evaluation simply felt rushed or incomplete.
How to request one
Put your request in writing, addressed to the special education director or the IEP case manager who oversees your child’s evaluation. You do not need to provide an extensive justification, simply stating that you disagree with the school’s evaluation and are requesting an IEE is generally sufficient to trigger the process.
What happens next
Once you request an IEE, the school has two basic options: agree to fund the evaluation at public expense, or file for a due process hearing to explain to a hearing officer why it believes its own evaluation was appropriate and an IEE is unnecessary. If the school does neither within a reasonable time, you may be able to proceed and seek reimbursement.
You can also choose to pay for an IEE privately yourself, without going through this process, if you prefer not to wait or want full control over which evaluator you use.
Choosing an evaluator
Schools are generally required to provide you with criteria for IEE evaluators (such as required credentials) and, often, a list of qualified options, though you are not limited only to that list if another evaluator meets the same criteria. Look for someone with specific experience evaluating the concerns at hand, a general practice that doesn’t typically work with similar cases may not produce a meaningfully different result.
What the school must do with the results
The IEP team is required to consider the results of an IEE, but considering is not the same as having to follow its recommendations. The IEE becomes part of the information your team weighs, alongside the school’s own evaluation, when making decisions, not an automatic override of the school’s findings.
If you disagree even after the IEE
If the IEE doesn’t resolve the disagreement, the same dispute resolution options apply as in any other IEP conflict: another team meeting focused specifically on reconciling the two evaluations, mediation, or, if needed, a due process hearing.
A practical note
An IEE can take real time to schedule and complete, sometimes weeks to months depending on the evaluator and the specific testing needed. If you’re concerned about a service gap while you wait, ask directly whether any interim supports can be put in place in the meantime, rather than assuming nothing can happen until the IEE is finished.
Key words to know
IEE (Independent Educational Evaluation): An evaluation by a qualified professional outside the school system, requested when a parent disagrees with the school’s own evaluation.
Public expense: When the school district pays for the IEE rather than the family paying privately.