Who Conducts an Independent Educational Evaluation?

An IEE must be completed by a qualied evaluator or team of evaluators from outside of the school

district. This could be a clinical psychologist, educational psychologist, neuropsychologist, speech

and language pathologist, occupational therapist, or other professional skilled in their eld of work

and experienced in areas related to the possible needs of the student.

Who Pays for an Independent Educational Evaluation?

• Parents can obtain and pay for an IEE and share the results with the school for consideration.

• Parents can submit a request for an IEE to the school to be completed at the district’s expense.

The school district must either agree to pay for the evaluation or start a due process hearing. If

with the results of an educational evaluation of their child, which was completed by the school district

(called a “public agency” in the law), the parent has the right to request an independent educational

evaluation (IEE). The IEE is like getting a second opinion. It is completed at no cost to the parent and

is conducted by an individual who is not employed by the school district. When the IEE is completed

and the results are shared with the school district, the individualized education program (IEP) team

must consider the results when determining a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for the

student. However, the IEP team is not required to implement the results or recommendations. The

IEE becomes part of the student’s permanent school record.

Family Matters

Michigan Department of Education Oce of Special Education

mde-ose@

Family Matters fact sheets are intended to enhance public understanding of Michigan's special education

system and are not a substitute for ocial laws and regulations.

The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Michigan Administrative Rules

for Special Education (MARSE) require the school district to inform parents about their right to an

IEE at the district’s expense, criteria and sources for evaluators, how to get reimbursed, reasonable

and expected costs, and that the parent can choose their own evaluator. Parents can request one

IEE at the district’s expense only after the district completes an evaluation and the parent disagrees

• Center for Parent Information and Resources: Right to

Obtain and an Independent Educational Evaluation

• Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education

(MARSE)

• U.S. Department of Education: Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act, Sec. 300.502 Independent

educational evaluation

with the district’s

evaluation and

wants an IEE.

• The school district

must let the

parent know within

seven calendar

days of receiving

the request if the

request is granted

• The school district

cannot require

a timeline or

conditions related

to an IEE at the

district’s expense.

• The district can consider an IEE if the parent had one completed

privately.

• The district can grant a request for the parent to obtain an IEE.

• The district can request an IEE at no expense to the parent.

• The hearing process must be started by the school district in

order to determine whether the evaluation was appropriate.

• If the nal decision from the hearing nds the evaluation by the

district was appropriate, the parent still has a right to the IEE,

but the district is not required to pay for it.

• If the nal decision from the hearing nds the evaluation by the

district was not appropriate, the parent has a right to the IEE at

district expense.

• If the parent already had a private IEE completed, it is reviewed

by the administrative law judge to determine whether it is