Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs) in Davis, CA

You sat in the meeting. You heard the results. And what they described didn’t sound like your child.

An Independent Educational Evaluation is a second opinion from someone
outside the school system.

What Is an Independent Educational Evaluation?

An IEE is an evaluation of your child conducted by a qualified professional who does not work for your school district.

Families come to us when they disagree with the district’s evaluation. That disagreement takes different forms. Your child may have been found ineligible. The report may never have explained why school is hard. The services that followed may not match what you see at home.

The IEP team must consider IEE results when deciding eligibility, placement, and your child s program.

When Does an IEE Make Sense?

You disagree with the district s eligibility decision
Dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD, or autism was never identified or never assessed
Your child qualified, but the services don t match what they need
The report described what your child can t do without explaining why
The IEP is in place and isn t working, and you suspect the evaluation underneath it missed something
Areas you raised as concerns were left out of the assessment entirely

Your Right to an IEE at Public Expense in California

If you disagree with your school district’s evaluation of your child, you can ask the district to pay for an independent one. That right comes from federal special education law. California law adds to it, including the right to have the evaluator observe your child in the classroom. (Federal law) (California law)

Here’s how it works in practice:

The district can ask, but you don’t have to answer, and it can’t hold up the IEE because you didn’t.

Once you ask, the district either agrees to pay or takes you to a hearing to defend its own evaluation. It can’t just say no and leave it there.

The district can set reasonable qualification requirements, but you choose who evaluates your child. If you’re handed a list, you can choose from it or choose someone else who meets the same criteria.

California specifically lets the independent evaluator observe your child at school. That matters because a child often behaves or learns differently in a classroom than in a testing room.

You can still get an independent evaluation. You’d just be paying for it yourself. Either way, the district has to consider what it finds.

What to Expect From an IEE

An independent evaluation covers the same ground a school assessment would, and often goes further. A district
evaluation has to answer one question: whether a student qualifies for services. An independent evaluation can look beyond that to how your child learns, what they do when they get stuck, and what would help the most.

An IEE with Breakthrough Education Support includes:

A review of the district s evaluation, school records, and any prior assessments
A parent interview covering developmental, medical, and school history
Input from your child s teachers about what they re seeing in the classroom
Classroom observation in your child s current placement, when possible
Testing in the areas at issue, conducted at our Davis office
A written report with findings and specific recommendations
Attendance at the IEP meeting

Areas We Evaluate

Depending on the main areas of concern, an IEE
could look at things like:

Cognitive ability and processing
Academic achievement across reading, writing, and math
Dyslexia
Dysgraphia
Dyscalculia
ADHD
Autism
Social-Emotional/Behavioral Testing

Who Conducts Your Evaluation

Rowan Foley conducts every evaluation personally, from the intake conversation through the IEP meeting.

Rowan s approach is neurodiversity affirming, and that shapes what an evaluation looks for. The question isn’t what’s wrong with your child. It s how your child’s brain works, what gets in the way, and what support would let them do what they’re capable of. She focuses less on why a child can’t and more on how they can.

She also thinks past the current school year. The question beneath her recommendations is what your child will need to run their own life as an adult, which tends to produce different suggestions than a plan built only around this semester.

Having worked as a school psychologist in public schools, Rowan knows how IEP teams read outside reports and what a school can realistically put in place. The recommendations she provides are written to be used, not filed.

IEE Timeline: From Request to IEP Meeting

Put your request in writing, stating that you disagree with the district’s evaluation and are requesting an IEE at public expense. If you’re unsure whether an IEE makes sense for your child, let’s talk before you make the request.

The district must either agree to fund the IEE or file for due process to defend its own evaluation.

Once the IEE is approved, reach out to talk with us about being your IEE evaluator. Sometimes the approval process through the district can take a few weeks to get through their different departments.

The evaluation includes a records review, interviews, a classroom observation, and testing across several sessions scheduled around your child.

We share the report with you, and the district.

Rowan attends the IEP meeting, presents the findings, and answers the team’s questions.

School Districts and Communities We Serve

Breakthrough Education Support is based in Davis, California, and provides IEEs for students across Yolo, Solano, and Sacramento counties, including families in:

Davis Joint Unified School District
Woodland Joint Unified School District
Washington Unified School District (West Sacramento)
Dixon Unified School District
Vacaville Unified School District
Winters Joint Unified School District
Sacramento-area districts and charter schools

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I request an IEE from my school district?

Put your request in writing to the district’s special education director. State that you disagree with the district’s evaluation, name which evaluation and when it was completed, and say you are requesting an Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense under 34 CFR 300.502 and California Education Code 56329(b). You can ask for the district’s criteria for independent evaluators in the same letter. You don’t need to explain your reasons, though you can if you want to.

Who pays for an independent educational evaluation?

If the district approves the IEE, the district pays for it. The district also can’t simply say no to your request. If it believes its own evaluation was appropriate, it has to file for a due process hearing to defend it. You can also pay for an IEE privately, and the district must still consider the results as long as the evaluator meets its criteria.

Can the school district choose who does my child’s IEE?

No. You always get to choose the evaluator. The district can set qualification criteria. They also may give you a list of approved providers, but you aren’t limited to that list as long as your evaluator meets the criteria. Rowan Foley at Breakthrough Education Support routinely conducts IEEs for families throughout Yolo, Solano, and Sacramento counties in California.

Can I request an IEE if my child did not qualify for special education?

Yes. The right is tied to disagreeing with an evaluation, not to being found eligible. An evaluation that concluded your child doesn’t qualify is still an evaluation, and if you disagree with it, you can request an IEE at public expense.

Do you provide IEEs for charter school students?

Yes. Charter school students have the same right to an independent evaluation at public expense when a parent disagrees with the evaluation. Depending on how the charter is organized, the responsible agency may be the charter itself or a district. We can help you figure out where to send your request.

How long does an IEE take?

Once the district has approved funding and the paperwork is in place, the evaluation typically takes 6 to 8 weeks from the first session to the final report. We spread testing across several sessions scheduled around your child, and we review the findings with you before the IEP meeting.

Do you attend the IEP meeting after the IEE?

Yes, and it’s included. Rowan conducts every evaluation herself, and she presents her findings and answers the team’s questions at the IEP meeting.

Talk to Us About an IEE

Whether you re weighing an IEE, getting ready to send your request, or choosing an evaluator after the district approved funding, we ll help you figure out your next step. The consultation is free and takes about twenty minutes.

Start the Conversation

Fill out the form below. We’ll be in touch within two business days to schedule your free consultation.