Independent Educational
Evaluation (IEE)
Independent Educational Evaluations (IEE) are private evaluations that are conducted by a professional who does not work for the school district. IEE’s are typically paid for by the school district but parents always have the right to pay for an IEE and then share the results with the school.
An IEE is an independent educational evaluation performed to help determine the educational needs of a child with disabilities. You might think of an IEE as being a second opinion.
You may want to have an independent education evaluation of your child if:
- you disagree with the school district’s most recent special education assessment of your child,
-
if the school district conducted an initial evaluation or re-evaluation but did not
fully identify all areas that need to be evaluated and if the you disagree with the evaluation, or -
if the school district has denied your child special education eligibility or a
necessary service or support based on the recommendations of a poorly-done
school district assessment.
Dr. Nicolson’s areas of specialty:
- LRE/inclusion/placement
- FBA/BIP appropriateness and implementation
- Assessment for Autism (challenging a school’s conclusion that a student does not meet criteria under the educational guidelines for Autism).
- Standard assessments for social-emotional and adaptive skills, as well as standardized autism assessments that would include measures for language and pre-academic skills.
- Comprehensive IEP and BIP implementation for maximum benefit
Dr. Nicolson is trained in trauma-informed care approaches.
My approach has developed in this way: I have found that it has been in the interpretation and implementation of the assessment results where the district and parents have disagreements the majority of the time.
I will analyze the existing assessment results and see where they have been implemented or not – and what further testing needs to be done in order to figure out what the child really needs to be successful. It is a broader lens on the IEE process with the goals of finding the true keys to your child’s long-term growth and success.
Dr. Nicolson has done IEEs in the following districts:
Fresno USD, Clovis USD, Central USD, Visalia USD, Bakersfield, San Juan USD, Elk Grove USD, Sanger USD, Duarte USD, Merced (MCOE), Sac City USD, Elk Grove USD, Yuba County, Los Banos USD, ASPIRE APEX Academy (Stockton), International School of Monterrey, Lincoln USD, Twin Rivers USD, Lake Tahoe/Alpine SELPA, Stockton USD, Santa Rosa USD, Paso Robles USD, Tulare USD, Dinuba USD, Madera USD, Los Gatos USD, Grass Valley USD, Redding USD