??  How to Request an IEE ?? 

If you think your child's school evaluation isn't correct and you DISAGREE with part or all of the evaluation results, you can ask for an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at no cost to you. Here’s how you can do it:

Before You Request an IEE

- Check Eligibility:

  - Ensure your child qualifies under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and has had a school evaluation.

 How to Request an IEE: 

1. Who to Send the Email To: Email the School Psychologist, Principal, or Special Education Teacher.

2. CC Other Relevant Staff: Include the Principal, Special Education Teacher, General Education Teacher, and any specialist like therapists in the CC field.

3. Attach the Request Letter: Attach your completed request letter as a PDF.

  - Body of Email: 

Hello Ms. Berry,

Please see the attached letter for my son Casa Nova.

Sincerely,

Parent’s Name

4. Email Subject Line: Use "Request for Individual Educational Evaluation (IEE)" as the subject line.

Sample Letters for IEE Request at Public Expense

Parent Note Before Sending

Please review the evaluation areas below and remove any areas that do not apply to your child. An IEE request should focus on the areas the district evaluated and that you disagree with, or areas you believe were not adequately assessed as part of the district’s evaluation.

Not every child will need every evaluation listed. Keep only the areas that match your child’s suspected needs, parent concerns, outside evaluations, or areas discussed by the school team.

Sample 1: Preschool Student

Date: [Insert Date]

[Parent/Guardian Name]
[Parent Address]
[City, State ZIP]

To: [School Psychologist / Case Manager / Special Education Director]
[School District / Preschool / School Name]
[District Address]
[City, State ZIP]

RE: Request for Independent Educational Evaluation at Public Expense for [Student Name]

Dear [Name/Team],

My child, [Student Name], is a preschool student at [Preschool/School Name]. [Student Name] was evaluated through a Comprehensive Developmental Assessment/MET evaluation in [Month/Year].

I am requesting an Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense because I disagree with the district’s Comprehensive Developmental Assessment/MET evaluation. I do not believe the evaluation fully or accurately reflects my child’s needs across settings.

[Student Name] also has an outside evaluation completed by [Provider Name] on [Date], which was provided to the district and reviewed as part of the Review of Existing Data. That evaluation identified [diagnosis/areas of need] and documented developmental needs in [communication, social interaction, adaptive functioning, sensory processing, emotional regulation, behavior, attention/executive functioning, motor, play skills, preschool participation, etc.].

I am requesting an Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense in the areas evaluated by the district that I disagree with and/or areas I believe were not fully or appropriately assessed. I understand that not all areas listed below may apply, and I am requesting evaluation only in the areas relevant to my child’s needs.

• Adaptive behavior: To include but not limited to self-help skills, toileting, handwashing, dressing/undressing, feeding/eating, safety awareness, daily independence, community functioning, or participation in preschool routines.

• Fine motor: To include but not limited to  pre-writing skills, grasp, cutting/scissor use, bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination, visual-motor integration, use of preschool materials, or fine motor participation during preschool tasks.

• Behavior/social-emotional functioning: To include but not limited to emotional regulation, anxiety, separation from parent/caregiver, frustration tolerance, transitions, response to changes in routine, peer interaction, withdrawal, aggression, dysregulation, or behavior across home, preschool, and community settings.

• Speech-language/communication: To include but not limited to  receptive language, expressive language, functional communication, pragmatic/social communication, conversational reciprocity, ability to explain wants/needs/experiences, articulation/intelligibility, or communication during dysregulation or sensory overload.

• Autism in an Educational Context:  including pragmatics, social communication, peer interaction, play skills, joint attention, flexibility, restricted/repetitive behaviors, sensory-related behaviors, transitions, adult support needed, or how autism-related needs present across structured and less structured settings.

• Executive functioning / attention:  To include but not limited to attention, impulse control, emotional regulation, flexibility, transitions, initiation, task completion, working memory, organization, ability to follow routines, or the level of adult support needed to participate successfully.

• Sensory processing: To include but not limited to auditory sensitivity, tactile sensitivity, oral sensory seeking, movement needs, sensory avoidance, messy play tolerance, sensory regulation, response to unexpected sounds or changes, or sensory needs across home, preschool, and community settings.

• Pre-academic/developmental functioning: To include but not limited to  early learning skills, play-based learning, learning readiness, problem-solving, classroom participation, preschool routines, or access to developmentally appropriate instruction.

• Preschool participation/functional developmental skills:To include but not limited to access to routines, peer play, transitions, group activities, classroom expectations, independence, or participation in age-appropriate preschool activities.

• Physical therapy / gross motor: To include but not limited to walking, running, balance, coordination, stairs, frequent falling/tripping, playground access, endurance, muscle tone, mobility, positioning, or safe movement around school.

• Assistive technology:  if there are concerns that my child may need tools or technology to communicate, participate, access instruction, complete tasks, or increase independence.

• Functional behavior assessment: if behavior is interfering with learning, safety, participation, transitions, peer interaction, or access to the preschool environment, and the reason for the behavior needs to be better understood.

Please provide me with the district’s IEE criteria, including evaluator qualifications, cost criteria, geographic limitations, and the district’s process for arranging payment for an Independent Educational Evaluation.

If the district applies cost criteria, please provide the written criteria and explain how the criteria were established. If the selected evaluator’s cost exceeds the district’s criteria, I am requesting that the district consider an exception based on my child’s unique evaluation needs. I am requesting that the IEE be provided at public expense, meaning at no cost to me as the parent/guardian.

Independent evaluator(s) have already been identified. Because the requested IEE may include multiple areas of need, the IEE may involve more than one independent provider. For example, a psychologist may complete the developmental, autism, social-emotional, behavioral, adaptive, executive functioning, cognitive, and pre-academic portions, while a separate occupational therapist may complete the OT/sensory/fine-motor portion, a separate speech-language pathologist may complete the speech-language and pragmatic communication portion, and a separate physical therapist may complete the gross motor/physical therapy portion if needed.

Once the district confirms it will fund the IEE, I will provide the evaluator information and any documentation needed so payment arrangements can be made directly with the appropriate evaluator(s) or provider companies.

Under 34 C.F.R. § 300.502(b)(2), when a parent requests an Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense because they disagree with the district’s evaluation, the district must, without unnecessary delay, either ensure the IEE is provided at public expense or file a due process complaint to show that its evaluation is appropriate.

Please provide the district’s response to this request in writing. If the district does not agree to fund the IEE, please confirm whether the district is filing due process to defend its evaluation.

Thank you for your attention to this request.

Sincerely,

[Parent/Guardian Name]
Parent/Guardian of [Student Name]

Sample 2: School-Age / Grade-Level Student

Parent Note: Before sending, remove any evaluation areas that do not apply to the student.

Date: [Insert Date]

[Parent/Guardian Name]
[Parent Address]
[City, State ZIP]

To: [School Psychologist / Case Manager / Special Education Director]
[School District / School Name]
[District Address]
[City, State ZIP]

RE: Request for Independent Educational Evaluation at Public Expense for [Student Name]

Dear [Name/Team],

My child, [Student Name], is a student at [School Name] in [Grade]. [Student Name] was evaluated through a [psychoeducational evaluation / MET evaluation / multidisciplinary evaluation / reevaluation / speech-language evaluation / occupational therapy evaluation / other district evaluation] in [Month/Year].

I am requesting an Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense because I disagree with the district’s evaluation. I do not believe the evaluation fully or accurately reflects my child’s needs across settings.

[Student Name] also has an outside evaluation completed by [Provider Name] on [Date], which was provided to the district and reviewed as part of the Review of Existing Data. That evaluation identified [diagnosis/areas of need] and documented needs in [academics, reading, writing, math, communication, social interaction, adaptive functioning, sensory processing, emotional regulation, behavior, attention/executive functioning, motor, etc.].

I am requesting an Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense in the areas evaluated by the district that I disagree with and/or areas I believe were not fully or appropriately assessed. I understand that not all areas listed below may apply, and I am requesting evaluation only in the areas relevant to my child’s needs.

• Cognitive/psychoeducational functioning: To include but not limited to learning profile, reasoning, memory, processing speed, problem-solving, intellectual development, cognitive strengths and needs, and how these areas impact educational access.

• Academic achievement: To include but not limited to reading, writing, math, classroom performance, work completion, curriculum access, grade-level standards, educational progress, and academic impact.

• Adaptive behavior: To include but not limited to self-help skills, safety awareness, daily independence, community functioning, school participation, organization, functional independence, and age-appropriate daily living skills.

• Fine motor/visual-motor: To include but not limited to handwriting, written production, keyboarding or tool use, cutting/scissor use when applicable, hand-eye coordination, visual-motor integration, use of classroom materials, and fine motor participation during school tasks.

• Behavior/social-emotional functioning: To include but not limited to emotional regulation, anxiety, depression, frustration tolerance, transitions, peer interaction, withdrawal, aggression, dysregulation, school avoidance, and behavior across home, school, and community settings.

• Speech-language/communication: To include but not limited to receptive language, expressive language, functional communication, pragmatic/social communication, conversational reciprocity, narrative language, articulation/intelligibility, and communication across settings.

• Autism in an Educational Context: To include but not limited to pragmatics, social communication, peer interaction, flexibility, restricted/repetitive behaviors, sensory-related behaviors, transitions, adult support needed, social understanding, and how autism-related needs present across structured and less structured settings.

• ADHD in an Educational Context: To include but not limited to inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, task initiation, sustained attention, work completion, self-monitoring, and the level of adult support needed to access instruction.

• Executive functioning: To include but not limited to attention, impulse control, emotional regulation, flexibility, transitions, initiation, task completion, working memory, planning, organization, self-monitoring, and independent work completion.

• Sensory processing: To include but not limited to auditory sensitivity, tactile sensitivity, oral sensory seeking, movement needs, sensory avoidance, sensory regulation, response to unexpected sounds or changes, and sensory needs across home, school, and community settings.

• Physical therapy / gross motor: To include but not limited to walking, running, balance, coordination, stairs, frequent falling/tripping, playground or PE access, endurance, muscle tone, mobility, positioning, and safe movement around school.

• Assistive technology: To include but not limited to tools or technology needed to communicate, write, read, access instruction, complete assignments, participate, or increase independence.

• Functional behavior assessment/behavioral evaluation: To include but not limited to behaviors interfering with learning, safety, participation, transitions, peer interaction, attendance, work completion, or access to the school environment, and the function or reason for the behavior.

• Educational access and school participation: To include but not limited to classroom routines, independent work, group work, transitions, peer interaction, participation in instruction, assignment completion, behavior/regulation, and access to the general education curriculum.

Please provide me with the district’s IEE criteria, including evaluator qualifications, cost criteria, geographic limitations, and the district’s process for arranging payment for an Independent Educational Evaluation.

If the district applies cost criteria, please provide the written criteria and explain how the criteria were established. If the selected evaluator’s cost exceeds the district’s criteria, I am requesting that the district consider an exception based on my child’s unique evaluation needs. I am requesting that the IEE be provided at public expense, meaning at no cost to me as the parent/guardian.

Independent evaluator(s) have already been identified, or I am in the process of identifying qualified evaluator(s). Because the requested IEE may include multiple areas of need, the IEE may involve more than one independent provider. For example, a psychologist may complete the psychoeducational, developmental, autism, ADHD, social-emotional, behavioral, adaptive, executive functioning, cognitive, and academic portions, while a separate occupational therapist may complete the OT/sensory/fine-motor portion, a separate speech-language pathologist may complete the speech-language and pragmatic communication portion, and a separate physical therapist may complete the gross motor/physical therapy portion if needed.

Once the district confirms it will fund the IEE, I will provide the evaluator information and any documentation needed so payment arrangements can be made directly with the appropriate evaluator(s) or provider companies.

Under 34 C.F.R. § 300.502(b)(2), when a parent requests an Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense because they disagree with the district’s evaluation, the district must, without unnecessary delay, either ensure the IEE is provided at public expense or file a due process complaint to show that its evaluation is appropriate.

Please provide the district’s response to this request in writing. If the district does not agree to fund the IEE, please confirm whether the district is filing due process to defend its evaluation.

Thank you for your attention to this request.

Sincerely,

[Parent/Guardian Name]
Parent/Guardian of [Student Name]