Public Education’s Best-Kept Secret: What Parents Should Know About IEEs and Private Evaluations
- Melissa Minnick
- Mar 13
- 7 min read
Updated: Apr 23
You've sat through the meetings, reviewed the data, and seen the progress reports.
You know your child is capable, yet the struggle continues. And somewhere deep down, you suspect the full story hasn't been uncovered yet.
After every IEP meeting, you walk away with one exhausting question still hanging in the air:
"Why? Why is my child still struggling, and what is the real reason no one can seem to find the answer?"
That missing piece is often an independent evaluation that takes a closer look at your child's learning profile.
Private evaluations play a crucial role by providing an independent assessment, uncovering underlying learning differences, and offering actionable recommendations to guide effective educational planning.
And here is public education's best-kept secret... Families may receive private evaluations at no cost. Understanding how these independent evaluations work and how they can inform decisions about your child's Individualized Education Program (IEP) can be the single most significant difference in your advocacy journey.
💡Did you know? Families can request a private evaluation at public expense if they disagree with a school district’s evaluation. This is called an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE), and it is a right protected under federal special education law.
The Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE): A Second Opinion for Your Child
Earlier, we shared one of public education’s best-kept secrets: families may receive a private evaluation at no cost.
This option is called an Independent Educational Evaluation or an "IEE".
As a procedural safeguard under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the IEE allows parents to request an evaluation for their child, conducted by a qualified professional outside of the school system, when they disagree with a school district’s evaluation.
Think of it as a second opinion about your child’s educational needs.
Before requesting an IEE, it is important to understand how this process works.
Families must first allow the school district to conduct their evaluation. This allows the school team to assess the student and determine eligibility using their own data and procedures.
If parents believe the district evaluation does not fully capture their child’s needs, they have the right to disagree with the district evaluation and request an Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense.
When Might Parents Disagree with a District Evaluation?
Families request IEEs for many reasons. Some common concerns include:
1. Important areas were not evaluated
School evaluations may sometimes be limited in the scope of their psychological and educational testing.
For example, while a broad look at cognitive functioning may be conducted, a closer look at specific types of processing may be missing.
For students with dyslexia, it's important to examine:
In other situations, an evaluation may focus only on the concern that prompted the referral.
For example, if testing was requested for reading and spelling difficulties, the district may not assess the student’s performance in math.
Because learning disabilities like dyslexia can affect multiple areas of academic performance, missing information like this can be a valid reason for parents to disagree with the evaluation and request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE).
2. The evaluation shows uneven scores that may need a closer look
A district evaluation may provide just enough information to leave families feeling confused about their child’s needs. While eligibility and IEP teams often focus on composite scores, we encourage parents to look more closely at subtests. For example:
A composite reading score may show that a child’s reading ability is "average",
but the subtests may reveal strong reading comprehension alongside very weak decoding or word recognition.
You may see similar patterns in writing:
Strong writing composition scores
Very low spelling scores
When scores vary widely like this, it can signal that something important is being missed.
Large differences between subtest scores are often a reason families request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) to better understand their child’s needs.
3. The recommendations are limited or unclear
Parents may feel the report does not provide meaningful guidance for instruction, supports, or accommodations.
When a child has shown signs of dyslexia, the evaluator should clearly document the need for specially designed instruction delivered through a Structured Literacy or Orton-Gillingham approach.
The evaluation should also include very specific recommendations for accommodations and technology that the student requires to access the curriculum while they receive this specially designed instruction.
If clear and specific recommendations are not included in a district evaluation, the family may consider requesting an IEE to receive a private evaluation of their child.
What is a Private Evaluation?
To understand why so many families pursue this option, it helps to be clear on what a private evaluation is and its benefits to your child.
A private evaluation is an assessment conducted by a qualified professional outside of the school system.
While these evaluations can take many forms (i.e., occupational therapy, speech and language, or assistive technology), this article is focused on private psychoeducational evaluations.
These evaluations provide a comprehensive look at a student's cognitive abilities and academic performance and are completed by licensed psychologists or neuropsychologists.
They are designed to better understand how a child learns and what may be contributing to their struggles in school.
Benefits of Private Evaluations
Private psychoeducational evaluations often provide insights that go beyond what is typically included in school district testing. Some of the most important benefits include:
Clinical Diagnoses
School districts do not diagnose learning disabilities or other clinical conditions. School teams use district evaluations to determine whether a student meets eligibility criteria under special education law.
Private providers can provide clinical diagnoses. This means a private evaluation may identify conditions such as dyslexia, ADHD, anxiety, dyscalculia, or dysgraphia. Because these conditions often occur together, a comprehensive evaluation can help families understand the full picture of a child’s learning profile.
Deeper Look at the Child’s Learning Profile
Private psychoeducational evaluations examine how different cognitive processes influence learning. These assessments often look at areas such as language processing, working memory, attention, and executive functioning.
By looking closely at these underlying processes, evaluators are often able to identify patterns that explain why a child is struggling, uncover any co-occuring conditions that were not previously recognized, and the implications of having a diverse learning profile.
Detailed Narrative Explanations
Private evaluation reports typically go beyond listing test scores. They often include detailed narratives that explain what the results mean for the student’s learning.
Evaluators may describe patterns they observed during testing, the types of errors the student made, and how those patterns impact the student’s reading, writing, or math performance in school.
This type of explanation helps families and school teams better understand how the student learns and where support is most needed.
Specific Recommendations for Support
Private evaluations also tend to include clear recommendations that can guide educational planning and instruction.
These recommendations may include accommodations that help the student access instruction more effectively. In many cases, they may also address the type of instruction a student needs based on their unique learning profile.
For example, when dyslexia is identified, an evaluator who is knowledgeable in dyslexia may recommend structured literacy methodology and explain why that approach is necessary for the student to improve their literacy skills.
Well-written private evaluations help inform important decisions about special education eligibility, instruction, services, and support.
How Parents Request an IEE
The process for requesting an IEE is generally straightforward.
Once parents have received and reviewed the school district's evaluation, if they disagree with the district's evaluation, they can submit a written request to the school district requesting an IEE.
Specifically, they must indicate that they "disagree with the district's evaluation" and request an Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense. By IDEA law, families do not have to provide a reason for disagreeing with the evaluation.
💡Be sure to check with your school district to learn who processes IEE requests, so you can send your letter to the appropriate officials.
After receiving the request, the school district typically has two options:
Approve and fund the IEE and provide information about how to obtain the evaluation
Initiate a due process hearing to defend the appropriateness of their evaluation
In our experience, the majority of school districts approve the request and provide parents with information about obtaining the independent evaluation. Because due process can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, most districts choose to approve the IEE request.
* Because special education procedures can vary somewhat by state and district, parents should review their procedural safeguards notice and speak with their school district to understand any local guidelines that may apply.
Turning IEEs and Private Evaluations into Action
Once an independent evaluation is completed, the school team must consider the results when making decisions about eligibility, services, and educational planning.
This requirement is an important protection for families. It means the information contained in a private evaluation must be part of the team’s discussion when developing your child’s IEP.
However, many parents quickly discover that simply providing the report to the school team does not automatically ensure that the most important information in the evaluation is fully understood or meaningfully incorporated into the IEP.
Private psychoeducational evaluations are often lengthy and detailed. They may include pages of test scores, narratives, observations, and recommendations. While this information can provide powerful insight into how a child learns, parents are often left wondering how to ensure the team "considers" the findings that matter most.
In other words, how do you help the team move beyond simply receiving the report to thoughtfully considering the information that should shape your child’s educational plan?
We frequently hear parents say something like:
"We have this big report… but we are not sure how to use it to advocate for the right support."
The key is learning how to translate the information in the evaluation into meaningful conversations about eligibility, instruction, services, and accommodations during the IEP meeting.
To help families bridge that gap, we created a practical guide called:
How to Leverage Private Evaluations at Your IEP Meeting
If you have received an IEE, private evaluation, for your child, this guide will help you turn that information into clear tactical and practical advocacy steps that will result in a stronger educational plan for your child.
Because when parents understand how to use the information in an evaluation, they are much better equipped to ensure their child receives the support they truly need.
⬇️ Download your free guide: How to Leverage Private Evaluations at Your IEP Meeting
If you’re feeling unsure about what to do next, you’re not alone. We’ve walked alongside many families facing the same questions, and we know how helpful it can be to have someone listen and guide you.
That’s why we offer Free Discovery Calls. A no-pressure conversation where parents of children with dyslexia can talk through their child’s needs with a Certified Dyslexia Advocate & discover their next best steps.
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