What Is an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE)? A Parent’s Guide

You received your child's school evaluation.

You read through the testing, scores, observations, and recommendations—and something doesn't sit right.

Maybe you don't think the evaluation captured what you're seeing at home. Maybe an area you were concerned about wasn't thoroughly assessed. Maybe the testing was completed, but you disagree with the conclusions the school reached from the data.

So what happens when you disagree with a school district's evaluation?

One option parents should understand is an Independent Educational Evaluation, commonly called an IEE.

An IEE can give families and school teams another perspective on a child's strengths and needs. But there is also a lot of confusion about what an IEE is, who pays for it, how you request one, and—perhaps most importantly—what an IEE can and cannot do.

Here's what parents need to know.

What is an Independent Educational Evaluation?

Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), an Independent Educational Evaluation is an evaluation conducted by a qualified examiner who is not employed by the public agency responsible for the child's education.

In everyday language, think of an IEE as an independent second opinion about your child's educational needs.

Depending on the area of concern, an independent evaluation might involve a psychologist, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, or another qualified professional.

The specific evaluation depends on what is being assessed.

An IEE isn't automatically an accusation that the school did something wrong. Sometimes an independent evaluator reaches conclusions that differ from the district's evaluation. Other times, the independent evaluator reaches similar conclusions.

Either result can provide useful information.

In Episode 6 of the Education Lowdown Podcast, Licensed Educational Psychologist Erin Crawford described this second-opinion role as an opportunity to bring another perspective into the conversation while keeping the focus on the child.

When can a parent request an IEE at public expense?

This distinction is important:

Parents can independently obtain private evaluations, but IDEA also provides a specific right to request an IEE at public expense when a parent disagrees with an evaluation obtained by the public agency, subject to the requirements of the regulation. California law similarly recognizes this right.

"Public expense" means the public agency either pays the full cost of the evaluation or ensures that the evaluation is otherwise provided at no cost to the parent.

That means the IEE process generally begins with something important:

The school district has conducted an evaluation, and you disagree with that evaluation.

Parents are entitled to one IEE at public expense each time the public agency conducts an evaluation with which the parent disagrees.

What if the school didn't assess an area I was concerned about?

This is an especially important question.

California assessment requirements say students must be assessed in all areas related to the suspected disability, as appropriate. They also prohibit using a single measure or assessment as the sole criterion for determining eligibility or an appropriate educational program.

Federal special-education guidance has also addressed what happens when parents believe the district's evaluation failed to assess an area related to a suspected disability.

The U.S. Department of Education has explained that a parent's disagreement with an evaluation can include a concern that the public agency did not assess the child in all areas related to the suspected disability.

That's one reason parents should look beyond the final eligibility determination when reviewing an evaluation.

Ask yourself:

• What concerns prompted the evaluation?

• What areas did the district actually assess?

• What information did parents and teachers provide?

• Do the assessment tools address the concerns that were raised?

• Do the conclusions make sense when compared with the data?

• Are there important areas of functioning that seem to be missing?

You don't have to become a psychologist to ask good questions about your child's evaluation.

Do I have to explain why I disagree?

A school district may ask why you disagree with its evaluation.

But under the federal regulation, it may not require you to provide an explanation, and it may not unreasonably delay its response because you haven't provided one.

That doesn't mean explaining your concern is necessarily a bad idea.

Sometimes being specific can help everyone understand the disagreement.

For example:

"I disagree with the district's psychoeducational evaluation because I don't believe it adequately addressed my concerns regarding my child's attention and executive functioning."

That's very different from believing you must write a lengthy legal argument proving that the district's evaluation was inadequate.

You don't.

How do I request an IEE?

A clear written request creates documentation of what you requested and when.

It doesn't need to sound like it came from an attorney.

For example:

Subject: Request for Independent Educational Evaluation

Dear [Name],

I disagree with the district's evaluation of my child, [Child's Name], completed on [date]. I am requesting an Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense.

Please provide me with the district's IEE criteria and information about where an independent evaluation may be obtained.

Thank you,
[Parent/Guardian Name]

Federal regulations require the public agency, upon an IEE request, to provide parents information about where an IEE may be obtained and the agency's applicable criteria.

Keep a copy of your request.

Documentation is one of the simplest advocacy habits parents can build.

What happens after I request an IEE?

This is where understanding your rights becomes especially important.

When a parent requests an IEE at public expense, the public agency must, without unnecessary delay, do one of two things:

1. Ensure that the IEE is provided at public expense; or

2. File a due process complaint requesting a hearing to demonstrate that its own evaluation was appropriate.

The regulation does not establish a universal number of calendar days for this response. It uses the standard "without unnecessary delay."

So be cautious with resources that tell parents, for example, that every district universally has exactly 10, 15, or 30 days to approve an IEE request. The federal rule itself does not establish such a fixed nationwide deadline.

If the district files for due process and a hearing officer ultimately determines that the district's evaluation was appropriate, the parent can still obtain an independent evaluation—but not at public expense under that IEE right.

Can the district tell me which evaluator I have to use?

This question requires a little nuance.

When an IEE is being provided at public expense, the district can have criteria governing the evaluation, including criteria involving the evaluator's qualifications and the location of the evaluation.

However, those criteria generally must be the same as the criteria the public agency uses when it conducts evaluations itself, to the extent they are consistent with the parent's right to an IEE.

Beyond the allowable criteria identified in the regulation, the agency may not impose additional conditions or timelines related to obtaining the publicly funded IEE.

So if the district gives you an "IEE provider list," don't automatically assume either:

"I absolutely have to choose one of these people."

or

"Anyone on this list must work for the district."

Neither assumption tells you enough.

Instead, ask for the district's written IEE criteria and review them carefully.

How should I choose an independent evaluator?

Credentials matter, but so does fit.

Consider asking a prospective evaluator:

• What experience do you have with children who have needs similar to my child's?

• What areas will you evaluate?

• What records will you review?

• Will you gather information from parents, teachers, or outside providers when appropriate?

• How much direct testing will occur?

• Will I receive a written report?

• Will you explain the findings to me?

• Will you participate in an IEP meeting to discuss the results, if appropriate?

• What is your experience conducting IEEs?

• Are you familiar with the district's IEE criteria?

The goal isn't to find someone who will automatically agree with you.

You want someone qualified to take a careful, independent look at your child.

As Erin explains in Episode 6, an independent evaluator's job isn't to be on the parent's side or the district's side.

The child should remain at the center of the evaluation.

What should a good evaluation help you understand?

A strong evaluation should give you more than a collection of scores.

Parents should come away with a better understanding of questions such as:

What are my child's strengths?

Where are they struggling?

Are there patterns in how they learn or process information?

How might attention, communication, executive functioning, academics, social-emotional functioning, or other areas interact?

What might help?

This becomes particularly important with children whose profiles aren't obvious.

A child can have strong cognitive abilities and still experience significant difficulty with ADHD, autism, anxiety, learning differences, executive functioning, communication, or other needs.

Some children may also be twice-exceptional (2e)—having significant cognitive strengths or giftedness alongside a disability or other area of need.

Good grades alone don't necessarily tell you everything about the effort required to earn them or about a child's functioning in other areas.

The goal should be to understand the whole child behind the data.

Does the school have to accept the IEE?

This is one of the biggest misconceptions about IEEs.

The school must consider qualifying IEE results. That does not mean it must automatically adopt every conclusion or recommendation.

Under IDEA, when a parent obtains an IEE at public expense—or shares an evaluation obtained at private expense—the results must be considered by the public agency, if the evaluation meets agency criteria, in decisions regarding the provision of FAPE to the child. The evaluation may also be presented as evidence in a due process hearing.

The word considered matters.

An IEE isn't a "golden ticket" that automatically produces a particular eligibility category, service, placement, accommodation, or IEP change.

Instead, it becomes important information for the educational team to consider when making decisions about your child.

What if I pay for a private evaluation myself?

Parents can also obtain evaluations at their own expense.

If you share a privately obtained IEE with the public agency and it meets agency criteria, IDEA says the results must be considered in decisions regarding FAPE.

California Education Code likewise states that if a parent obtains an independent educational assessment at private expense, the results shall be considered by the public education agency with respect to providing FAPE and may be presented as evidence at a due process hearing.

Again, considered doesn't mean automatically adopted.

An IEE doesn't have to turn the relationship adversarial

Parents sometimes hesitate to disagree with a school evaluation because they worry about damaging their relationship with the school.

That's understandable.

But disagreement doesn't automatically have to mean conflict.

You can say:

"I appreciate the work the team put into this evaluation, and I still have concerns about whether we're seeing the complete picture."

Both things can be true.

Sometimes an IEE identifies something that wasn't captured previously.

Sometimes it provides a different interpretation of existing information.

And sometimes the independent evaluator reaches conclusions similar to the district's evaluator.

That last outcome isn't necessarily a failed IEE.

A second professional reaching similar conclusions may actually help rebuild confidence in the information the team is using to make decisions.

What happens after the IEE is completed?

Don't let the report become another document sitting in your special-education binder.

Read it.

Write down your questions.

Ask the evaluator to explain terminology you don't understand.

Then prepare for the school-team conversation.

You might ask:

• What new information did this evaluation give us?

• Where does the IEE agree with the district's evaluation?

• Where do the evaluations differ?

• How does this information affect our understanding of my child's needs?

• Does the team believe changes to goals, services, accommodations, supports, eligibility, or other parts of the program should be considered?

• If the team isn't adopting a recommendation, can you help me understand why?

• What are our next steps?

Your goal isn't simply to arrive at the meeting holding a new report.

Your goal is to understand the information well enough to participate meaningfully in decisions about your child.

The biggest takeaway for parents

An IEE is a powerful procedural right, but the real value isn't simply getting another assessment.

It's getting better information.

Information that can help you understand your child's strengths.

Information that can identify needs that may have been overlooked or interpreted differently.

Information that can clarify what everyone is already seeing.

And, ideally, information that helps the adults around your child develop a better game plan.

Your child is more than an eligibility category.

More than a diagnosis.

More than a test score.

And more than a report.

The point of assessment should ultimately be to better understand the child behind the data.

Want to hear an educational psychologist explain IEEs?

In Episode 6 of the Education Lowdown Podcast, Dylcia Hernandez Dell’Era talks with Erin Crawford, LEP, founder of Crawford Educational Psychology, about psychoeducational assessments, IEEs, twice-exceptional learners, masking, and what happens when what parents see at home doesn't match what the school sees.

The Whole Child Behind the Data

Assessments, IEEs & Understanding How Your Child Learns

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If your child is struggling at school and you're not sure what comes next, our free guide can help you understand common supports—including IEPs, 504 Plans, assessments, and practical next steps.

Disclaimer

Education Lowdown provides educational and informational content only and does not provide legal, medical, mental health, or other professional advice. Special education laws, regulations, policies, and individual circumstances vary and may change over time. For advice regarding your specific situation, consult an appropriately qualified professional.

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© 2026. Education Lowdown. All rights reserved. Education Lowdown provides educational and informational content only. Our content is not legal, medical, mental health, or other professional advice and does not create an advocate-client relationship. Special education laws, procedures, eligibility decisions, and school practices may vary based on individual circumstances and location.