INDEPENDENT EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION (IEE)
A parent has the right to an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense if the parent disagrees with the evaluation obtained by the Local Education Agency (the School District). Public expense means that the school district either pays for the full cost of the evaluation or ensures that the evaluation is otherwise provided at no cost to the parent consistent with the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The school district must have completed an educational evaluation and the parent must have signed the evaluation team report (ETR) indicating “disagree” and provided an explanation of disagreement. A parent is limited to only one IEE at public expense each time the school district conducts an evaluation with which the parent disagrees.
The IEE must use a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather relevant functional, developmental, and academic information about the child, including information provided by the parent that may assist in determining:
· Whether the child is a child with a disability and
· The content of the child’s individual education program (IEP)
The IEE must utilize:
· Technically sound instruments that may assess the relative contribution of
cognitive and behavioral factors;
· Instruments so as to not be discriminatory on racial or cultural biases;
· Instruments administered in the child’s native language;
· Instruments used for the purpose for which the assessment or measures are
valid and reliable;
The IEE examiner must be licensed by the state of Ohio to administer assessment to children in the areas being assessed.
The IEE examiner must be located within a 25 mile radius of the Cincinnati Public Schools administrative offices at the Education Center (2651 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45219).
The IEE examiner will submit in writing the assessments that will be administered, a cost for the IEE, and other information required by Cincinnati Public Schools for independent contractors. The Cincinnati Public Schools Department of Student Services will submit a requisition to the CPS Board of Education for approval. The assessment may only take place after the requisition for the work has been approved by the CPS Board of Education.
Upon completion of the IEE report:
· A copy of the IEE report will be provided to the district.
· The school district must consider an IEE conducted at either public or private
expense but is not obligated to accept its results or recommendations as
conclusive.
· Document that the IEE was considered by the team.
· If the IEE does not comply with the district’s criteria, the district can challenge the
IEE in a due process hearing.
Parents have the right to request an IEE in any area already assessed by Cincinnati Public Schools.
· An Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) is an evaluation conducted by a
qualified examiner who is not employed by the school district responsible for the
student’s education.
· When the parent presents the school with a parent initiated evaluation or an IEE,
the data are given to the school team members of the evaluation team or IEP
team.
-Team will notify the Department of Student Services (DSS) manager and the family of the receipt of the IEE
· After the school team members of the evaluation team or IEP team review the
data in the IEE, the report(s) is (are) discussed and the district takes the action it
deems appropriate.
While the parent has a right to obtain the IEE as his/her own expense, federal law provides a parent with the right to one IEE at public expense if the parent disagrees with the district’s evaluation. A parent may request a publicly funded IEE for each evaluation completed by the district. When a parent notifies the district that he or she disagrees with an evaluation and requests an IEE, the district must respond within a reasonable time, either by agreeing to provide the IEE or be initiating a due process hearing to show that the school district’s evaluation is appropriate.
If request for an IEE is granted, the criteria under which the evaluation is obtained, including the location of the evaluation and the qualifications of the examiner, must be the same as the criteria that the school uses when it initiates an evaluation. The school may not impose any other conditions or timelines related to obtaining an IEE.
In the event an IEE is requested for a currently served student with a disability and the school team members of the evaluation team are proposing dismissal of special education services, the student will remain in special education pending the completion of the IEE and review of the IEE report by the school team members of the evaluation team or IEP team.
Total combined costs for aIl areas of assessment within the IEEs should not exceed $2700.00 Types of assessments and required evaluator credentials are below:
· Assistive Technology not to exceed $750. (See checklist for Independent
Educational Evaluators (AT))
· Functional Behavioral Assessments not to exceed $1,200. (Required credential:
Licensed Educational Specialist in School Psychology (Ed.S) or Board Certified
Behavior Analyst (BCBA)).
· Psycho-educational evaluations (including bilingual) not to exceed $1,500.
(Required credential: Licensed Educational Specialist in School Psychology
(Ed.S))
· Psychological evaluations (including bilingual) not to exceed $1,500. (Required
credential: Licensed Educational Specialist in School Psychology (Ed.S))
· Speech and Language evaluations (including bilingual) not to exceed $1,200.
(Required credential: Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC))
· Vocational Assessments not to exceed $1,000.
· Occupational Therapy evaluation not to exceed $750. (Required credential:
Occupational Therapist with license to practice in the state of Ohio
· Physical Therapy evaluation not to exceed $750. (Required credential: Physical
Therapist with license to practice in the state of Ohio
· Functional Vision/Learning Media Assessment not to exceed $650. (Required
credential: Licensed as a Teacher of the Hearing Impaired in the state of Ohio)